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