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Attendance

Our Policies


  • ABOUT ATTENDANCE

    Regular and timely attendance is essential for a consistent academic growth, maintenance of
    social relationships and emotional security. Daily attendance develops the child’s sense of
    rhythm in their school life. Similarly, a timely arrival in the morning and departure at pick-up
    eases the anxiety that children often confront when transitioning between home and school.
    Good attendance is a pre-requisite for your children to receive the maximum benefit from our
    educational program.

  • Absences

    All parents are legally obligated for their children to attend school. According to California
    law, there is no distinction between unexcused or excused absences. Please schedule doctor
    appointments and vacations when school is not in session to avoid causing a school absence.
    If you know that your child is going to miss some school days, please consider requesting
    Independent Study three days in advance of the initial absence. An Independent Study plan
    enables the child to continue the studies that are occurring in class, reducing the sense of
    overwhelm and confusion the student may encounter upon the return from an absence.

  • Illness

    A sick child is best cared for at home. Please keep your child home if he or she:
    ■ Has an active fever or had a fever within the past 24 hours
    ■ Has vomited within the past 24 hours
    ■ Has an actively communicable infectious condition such as:
    ○ Chicken Pox, *Conjunctivitis (pink eye), Diphtheria, German Measles, Hepatitis,
    *Head Lice, Impetigo, Measles, Mumps, Poliomyelitis, Pertussis/Whooping
    Cough, Ring Worm, or Scarlet Fever
    ■ *In cases of Conjunctivitis, attendance is allowed once treatment has begun.
    ■ *In cases of Head Lice, student may return to school following the use of a
    recommended lice treatment. Be sure to notify your class teacher and the office at the
    first sign of nits or adult lice.

  • Tardy Arrival

    In the Waldorf classroom, there is a rhythm to the day, with opening activities which prepare
    the child to work effectively, as well as closing activities which allow the group to end as one
    and to bring a sense of completion. It is essential that your child arrive at school on time to
    benefit from the entire class day. When children arrive late, they not only miss out on the
    important warm up period of the day, they enter their lessons with anxiety and worry.
    Additionally, the late arrival is disruptive to the lesson and other students in class.
    It also triggers a huge amount of administrative work. Mandatory attendance reporting to our
    auditor, our chartering district, the county office of education, and the state, add up to
    inordinate amounts of time spent whenever your child is even a few minutes tardy. Please,
    please, respect everyone’s time and your child’s experience by arriving well ahead of the 8:10
    bell every day. Everyone will thank you!
    A good goal is to strive to arrive at school a full 10 minutes before the morning start time to
    enable your child to settle in and be ready for the school day, which begins at 8:15 promptly.
    The School defines tardiness as arriving at the classroom door after the teacher has greeted the
    children and begun the school day. The school is open and schoolyard supervision begins 15
    minutes before the official beginning of the school day. We strongly encourage all families to
    arrive early and build in a grace time in their morning routine. All children need at least a few
    moments to arrive, settle in, and get to the door, and most benefit from 10-15 minutes of time at
    school before the school day begins. In short, we urge you to arrive well before the bell to allow
    plenty of time!
    If a child arrives after the teacher commences class (8:15 AM), they are considered tardy.
    Please do not leave your child alone to find her way to class when she is tardy. If the class
    teacher has closed the classroom door for the start of lesson, do not knock or walk into the
    classroom. Parents must accompany their child to the office for a tardy slip. Upon returning to
    the classroom, slip the tardy slip through the classroom door. The teacher will invite the
    student into class when ready for the transition.
    If families demonstrate a pattern of tardiness, parents will be asked to meet with
    administration to address the problem. Repeated tardy arrivals will result in a letter home to
    inform parents of the pattern. Significant tardiness, in excess of 30 minutes, is considered a
    reportable event for the purposes of determining truancy.

  • Truancy

    Education Code 48260 states that a child “who is absent from school without valid excuse more than
    three days or tardy in excess of 30 minutes on each of more than three days in one school year is a truant
    and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.
    “ For
    the purposes of determining truancy, Absences shall be excused only for health reasons, family
    emergencies, justifiable personal reasons, and as permitted by law, Board policy and
    administrative regulations. Letter of truancy will be drafted for students with 5 or more days of
    unexcused absences. If absences continue the case will be referred to the Executive Director for
    intervention. Even in cases of valid excuse, such as illness, students absent in excess of 10 days
    require a physician’s note or conference with the administrator to determine the justification
    for the absence.
    If excessive absences or tardies occur, the school may take the following set of progressive
    steps:
    • Verbal reminders to the family from teacher or other school staff, as appropriate.
    • First letter home from Director as a warning after the 3rd overall unexcused absence.
    • Second letter home after 5th total unexcused absence or Tardy, requiring parent(s) and
    older students to meet with Director.
    • Other steps may be recommended at the time of the meeting with the Director, such as
    student and/or parents donating time to school to compensate for lost class and
    administrative time. An agreement will be signed by the family that acknowledges their
    commitment to solving the tardiness problem.
    • Families make an appointment and meet with the Director about the attendance
    problem within two weeks of notice or the case is referred to Live Oak’s Board of
    Directors.
    • Third letter home after 9th unexcused absence or tardy; at this time the case is referred
    to Live Oak’s Board of Directors. The School Board will meet to determine appropriate
    next steps, which could include, but is not limited to, referral to the local Student
    Attendance Review Board (SARB) and/or the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office.

Our Policies


  • Student Attendance

    Petaluma City Schools is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for students. Attendance is a large part of student engagement and success. Research indicates that student success is directly linked to attendance. A student’s academic achievement relies on their ability to be fully present in class with a healthy and balanced physical and mental state. Health and academic achievement are known to coincide with one another. When the health of students is suffering, the risk for poor academic outcomes increases.

    The purpose of this message is to provide you with some information about the differences between truancy, chronic absenteeism and the processes in place to support you and your family.

    There is a tension between attendance and students attending school who might be ill. We recognize this is often a difficult decision to make, for example between minor allergies and more serious illness. We have asked that you err on the side of caution and not send potentially sick children to school. However, we do want to clarify our systems and definitions with regards to attendance. Please know that above all we consider this a partnership and are here to provide support and resources.

  • Illness Process

    In many cases, absences from school are unavoidable due to health problems, communicable illnesses (Covid-19, flu, Strep Throat etc) or other circumstances. When absences due to illness are frequent, there may be a concern regarding more serious health issues.  If your child is experiencing chronic illness or other health conditions preventing them from attending school please contact your school office so we may offer support.

    After 14 or more excused absences due to illness, by resolution of the District Board of Education (CCR Title 5, Sec. 421) further absences due to illness should be verified by a note from a physician. We know that visiting a healthcare provider is not easily accessible. We ask that you call the school and speak to our nurse to discuss options to verify additional absences. 

    You may receive an excessive absence letter. Again, we are looking for collaborative opportunities to support you and your family.

    View Sample Illness Letter

  • On-Time Policy

    It is expected that students will arrive to all classes on time. The on-time policy is as follows:

    • A student who arrives late to any class (late is defined as entering the class after the tardy bell has rung; some teachers require students to be seated before the bell) will receive a detention. They will receive an email from the discipline secretary informing the student and parent of the detention and the date of expected attendance.  
    • Detentions are 30 minutes in length. Students report to H-5, Student Services, for detention immediately after school. 
    • Students who have an excused tardy, ex: a doctor’s appointment, should report to the attendance office where they will be given a pass to class. No detention will be assigned. 
    • Students who intentionally cut class or who report 30 minutes or more late to class are considered truant and will receive two detentions for every period of unexcused absence. 
    • Parents/Guardians have 72 hours to clear an absence or tardy. After 72 hours, students will receive notification of an uncleared absence and will have 24 hours to clear the absence before detentions are issued. 
    • Once absences are turned to cuts, detentions will be issued.  Students and/or parents/guardians may not clear detentions.
  • Chronic Absenteeism

    Generally speaking, students who miss a defined number of school days, usually about 10 percent or about 15 to 18 days in most school districts, for any reason, are considered chronically absent. And students who are chronically absent are not only at serious risk of falling behind in school, but they also become susceptible to a slew of other harmful consequences.

    If your child is identified as chronically absent your family will receive a letter from the PCS drawing your attention to their absences and asking if we can be of support. We may ask to meet with you to better understand how we can be of support.

  • Truancy Process

    If a student is truant (see definition below) meaning three or more unexcused absences a process entitled Student Attendance Review Team (SART) takes place. Upon the fourth absence a letter is sent home informing the family that their student has three unexcused absences. If the unexcused absences continue you will receive a second letter with an invitation to meet with the SART.

    View Sample Truancy Letters 

    During a SART meeting family and staff work together to identify support and resources needed for the student to successfully attend school. This process is meant to be supportive and collaborative.

    What is a SART meeting?

    If unexcused absences continue the school will inform Petaluma City Schools Student Services Department. The Student Services Department would then invite the family to a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB).

    A SARB is designed to offer guidance and support with the end result being a contract between the school and family for improved attendance. 

    If a SARB contract is not fulfilled a referral to the Sonoma County District Attorney is possible. Again, we want to approach the solution to truancy collaboratively with the family. 

    What is a SARB hearing?

  • Definitions

    Truancy:

    The California Legislature defined a truant in very precise language. In summary, it states that a student missing more than 30 minutes of instruction without an excuse three times during the school year must be classified as a truant and reported to the proper school authority. It is a narrow view of attendance problems because it addresses those students who missed school based on reasons not acceptable to California Education Code and PCS Board Policy. Most school attendance policies identify "allowable" reasons students may miss school (e.g., illness).

    View the PCS Board Policy and Administrative Regulations, California Education Code

    Chronic Absence:

    Identifies children who are repeatedly missing school and considerable amounts of instruction. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10% of the days for which they are enrolled. The 10% is used since research has shown this is the tipping point for when detrimental consequences begin to occur. When we are able to identify the specific children who are missing large portions of school, we are able to direct resources more strategically and provide appropriate interventions that help them get to school and on track for learning.

    • Chronic absence is a measure of students who have missed 10% or more of the days in which they were enrolled in the school year.
    • The chronic absence rate is the portion of students within a grade, district or subgroup that misses 10% or more of the days in which they were enrolled.
    • Chronic absence needs to be addressed because our ability to identify and support chronically absent students and their families has the potential to help:
    • reduce the achievement gap,
    • increase students’ readiness for college and careers.
  • Independent Study

    An Independent Study contract is available to students who will miss 5 days or more due to a family emergency, family trip, or other necessary absences. Pick up the Independent Study contract from the Attendance Office at least one week before the absences are scheduled and follow the process explained on the contract. Upon return to school, the student must check into the Attendance Office on the return date listed on the Independent Study contract in order for the absences to be excused and to receive credit for work completed. Students who will be absent for more than 3 weeks due to travel or medical reasons should contact their counselor for guidance.

Excusing Absences Through ParentSquare


Did you know that you can submit attendance notes in ParentSquare? For any absences not excused during the day, you will receive a message from ParentSquare that evening informing you of your student's absence.

How to Submit on ParentSquare Cómo Enviar en ParentSquare