Attendance
Procedures
Regular
attendance is the first requirement for a successful high school experience.
When students have good attendance, they learn more, they enjoy school more,
and their grades and citizenship are better. Students preparing themselves
for their life’s work need to regard daily attendance and punctuality
as fundamental for later success.California state law requires daily school
attendance to the age of eighteen unless the California High School Proficiency
Test has been passed or until graduation. Beginning July 1, 998, school districts
no longer receive funding from the State of California for students who are
absent from school. This includes all absences, even those related to illness,
medical or doctor appointments, or for the purpose of attending funeral services
of a member of the immediate family. In other words, schools will receive
state funding only for students who actually attend school. It is crucial
that local schools continue to receive the financial resources necessary to
provide quality educational services and reduce program cuts. We want to avoid
the unnecessary absences that reduce district resources and limit your child’s
opportunity to earn good grades and benefit academically. Again, we encourage
your continued support to promote good school attendance and student achievement.
There are no school or district approved “ditch days.”
- An automated
dialing system will call home on all absences of one or more periods daily.
- The
student must report to the Attendance Office, which opens at 7:30 a.m.
daily, to obtain a re-admit slip before being accepted into class for
all absences of one or more periods. Parent verification of reason
for absence will be required in all cases before the re slip will be issued.
Parent verification will consist of the following:
- A
parent/guardian-signed and dated note brought by the student to the Attendance
Office upon return with student’s first and last name, reason for
absence, and dates of absence. (Please write in ink.) Please attach
any doctor’s notes to your note.
- When
a student accumulates nine (9) absences in one or more classes, excluding
“athletic” or “school activity” absences, a mailing
will be sent to the parent/guardian. This mailing will be sent each time
the student reaches nine (9) absences in any additional classes during
a semester. Fifteen (15) absences or a combination of nine (9) absences
and two (2) truancies in a class may result in withdrawal from the class
and loss of credit.
- Five
(5) period or full day truancies will result in withdrawal from class
and may also be dealt with by the SARB (School Attendance Review Board.)
Withdrawal from class means a loss of credits and a lowered GPA. Citizenship
may also be affected. A student may also be cited by the Torrance Police
for truancy.
