Attendance
Every Day Counts!
Daily school attendance is extremely important. Please do not schedule family vacation times for when school is in session. The instruction a student misses with his/her classroom community can NEVER be made up. Even if the written work is completed, student learning is compromised. In addition, the school and district lose valuable funding for each day each child misses school. We appreciate your support in this area since it demonstrates to your child that school is important – a positive attitude for students to develop.
Reporting an Absence
To clear an absence, please do ONE of the following:
- Call our 24-hour attendance hotline at 682-8000, ext. 5202 to report the absence, or
- send a note to the office with your child
Please don't forget to include the following in your message or note:
- Child’s full name
- Date of absence
- Specific nature of the absence (illness, vacation, funeral, etc.)
- Your relationship to the student
- Please sign and date all notes
It is important to clear an absence within 72 hours. After three unexcused absences, a child can be declared truant. A total of 10 days absence per year is considered excessive. Our office will mail absence letters to remind parents if absences are excessive as part of our “Every Day Counts” program. The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is absent excessively.
Students with perfect attendance and no tardiness are honored periodically throughout the school year.
Tardiness
School begins at 7:55am. Students who arrive at school after the bell rings are considered tardy. If a parent cannot escort the student to the office, a note from the parent is required with a valid excuse.
Students arriving after 8:10am must report to the office for a tardy pass before they go to class. A tardy of 30 minutes or more without a valid excuse is considered truant. Please remember that a valid excuse may be a medical/dental appointment or illness. Waking up late, or traffic are not considered valid excuses.
Promptness is very important since students miss valuable directions and instruction. They are then at a real disadvantage. Furthermore, when they enter the class late, it disturbs the learning environment for other students.
The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is tardy excessively.
Early Release from School
Students who must leave school during the regular day should have a note from their parent, or you may call the permit to leave line at 925-458-3216 X 5202
Please include the following in your note/phone message
- Childs Name
- Reason for the early release
- Time Student will be picked up
The parent or designee on the emergency card must pick the student up from the office, where they will be asked to sign a register and to show identification . Parents may not pick a child up from the classroom. It is our school policy not release children to anyone other than the parent, guardian, or other previously authorized persons designated on the emergency card or via a note written on the particular day of release.
Independent Study
If a student must be absent for more than 5 consecutive school days for a reason other than illness, obtain an Application and Contract for Independent Study from the office at least 10 days before the absence begins. This gives teachers sufficient amount of time to prepare assignments and allows them to meet with the student to explain assignments and expectations.
Time spent on the assignments must be the equivalent of the instructional time missed from school. The completed assignments must be submitted to the main office ON THE DAY OF THE STUDENT’S RETURN. After work is corrected by the teachers, the contract will be signed by an administrator. A call to the school for an unforeseen delay in return (other than illness) must be made prior to the return date of the contract completion.
Please remember that missed instructional time cannot be fully made up, even if the paper work is completed.
Home and Hospital
Students who must be absent from school for more than three weeks because of a medical problem are eligible to receive home instruction. Contact the office to obtain a Home and Hospital application. Parents fill out Part I, the request for home instruction, and physician/ family medical advisor completes Part II. There is usually no waiting period before instruction may start, and a home teacher will be assigned when the application has been received and approved.
