Attendance Matters!
Absences and tardies affect the learning of all students on campus. Please ensure students are at school and on time every day.
Consistent attendance is a key factor in your child’s success at school.
Please try to schedule appointments before/after school and vacations during school breaks.
Students must arrive at school on time. Please check your child’s arrival time and help them to be at school on time.
Students must check in at the office before class if they arrive after the official start time.
If your child is absent, you must notify office personnel of the absence and the reason for the absence by emailing attendance@aerostem.org or calling 530.742.2531.
Students must attend school daily and remain in school the entire instructional day. Valid excusable absences include:
- Personal illness (Doctors’ note can be required)
- Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer
- Medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic appointments (with note)
- Attendance at funeral services for a member of the student’s immediate family
- Participation in religious instruction or exercises
- For the purposes of jury duty in the manner provided for by law
- To permit the student to spend time with an immediate family member who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from, deployment to a combat zone or combat support position
- For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Election Code section 12302
- Attendance at the student’s naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen
All students between 6 and 18 years of age are required to attend school.
Parent Responsibility
Parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child’s attendance. (Education Code 48200)A “chronic absentee” has been defined in California Education code (EC) Section60901(c)(1) as “a pupil who is absent on 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year when the total number of days a pupil is absent is divided by the total number of days the pupil is enrolled and school was actually taught in the regular day of schools of the district, exclusive of Saturdays and Sundays.”
Truant
A student is considered truant if absent without a valid excuse for three (3) full days per school year or tardy or absent without a valid excuse on three (3) occasions per school year, or any combination thereof.(Education Code 48260) A student’s refusal to attend school regularly can result in referral to the School AttendanceReview Board (SARB), Juvenile Probation and the Juvenile Court System. (EducationCode 48263)
Chronic Absenteeism Facts
- Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder for student to learn to read
- Studies demonstrate students who are absent two or more days each school month struggle more academically than their classmates
- Being late to school may lead to poor attendance
- Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up
- Regular school attendance prepares students for success in their college and career paths
- Young people who are not in school are often victims of crime or more likely to be in trouble with the law
- Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school — and themselves
Definitions
- “Tardy”: If a student arrives after attendance has been taken, they will be marked as tardy.
- “Unexcused Absence”: A student shall have an unexcused absence if the student is absent or is tardy without a valid excuse.
- “Truant”: A student shall be classified as a truant if the student is absent from school without a valid excuse three (3) full days in one school year, or if the student is tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three (3) occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof.
- “Habitual Truant”: A student shall be classified as a habitual truant if the student is reported for truancy three (3) or more times within the same school year. This generally occurs when the student is absent from school without a valid excuse for five (5) full days in one school year or if the student is tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on five (5) occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof.
- “Chronic Truant”: A student shall be classified as a chronic truant if the student is absent from school without a valid excuse for ten (10) percent or more of the school days in one school year, from the date of enrollment to the current date.
- “School Attendance Review Team (“SART”)”: The SART panel will be composed of a school administrator, at least one teacher, the special education teacher as applicable, and(optionally) a classified administrative employee. The SART panel will discuss the absence problem with the student’s parent/guardian to work on solutions, develop strategies, discuss appropriate support services for the student and student’s family, and establish a plan to resolve the attendance issue.