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ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Reporting Absences
Parents must report their child’s absence within 3–5 days. Please include the child’s name, grade, dates of the absence, reason, and your relationship to the child.

You can report an absence by:

Regular, on-time attendance is important for every scholar. When students miss school, they miss learning that cannot be replaced. Attendance matters because:

  • Students need to be in class to learn and build relationships with peers and adults.

  • Each lesson builds on the one before it.

  • Many activities are hands-on and cannot be made up with worksheets.

  • Good attendance builds lifelong habits for future careers.

  • School funding depends on student attendance.

  • California law requires students to attend school every day and arrive on time.

Excused Absences
State law allows absences only for the following reasons:

  • Illness

  • Medical, dental, optometry appointments (with a doctor’s note)

  • Death in the immediate family

  • Religious observances

Students must attend school for the part of the day when they are not at a doctor’s appointment.
Example: If the appointment is in the morning, students should come after. If it is in the afternoon, students should attend in the morning.

Per TUSD Board Policy BP-5113-R, more than 10 excused absences in a year will require a doctor’s note for any additional absences.

Unexcused Absences
All other absences, including vacations and athletic events, are unexcused.
Intentional truancy is a violation of state law. After three unexcused absences, the state requires schools to send attendance letters to keep families informed of California’s compulsory education law.

Tardies
Students who arrive late or leave more than 30 minutes early without a medical reason are considered truant.

  • Arriving 30 minutes or more late requires a parent to sign the student in.

  • Leaving more than 30 minutes before dismissal (without a medical reason) is an unexcused tardy.

Emergency Trips / Independent Study
If your child must miss school for an emergency trip, they may qualify for Independent Study. Please contact the school office at least 10 days before the absence so teachers have time to prepare the work.

Important: Independent Study is not available during the last two weeks of the school year.

Consequences for Truancy or Excessive Absences

When a student returns after an absence, they must bring a signed note with the dates and reason, unless the parent calls or emails the school.

TUSD Board Policy Reminder
Per TUSD Board Policy BP-5113-R, if a child has more than 10 excused absences in a school year, the school will require a doctor’s note for any future absences to be marked excused.

Unexcused Absence Notices:

  • After 3 unexcused absences: First truancy letter

  • After 6 unexcused absences: Second truancy letter and a parent conference

  • After 9 unexcused absences: Third truancy letter and possible SARB referral

Students with ongoing absences or tardies may be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

Consistent, on-time attendance is essential for learning. Please avoid planning vacations during the school year.

EARLY PICK-UPS

Why It’s Important for Students to Stay Until the End of the Day

  1. Disrupts the Class: Early pick-ups interrupt learning for the whole class.

  2. Missed Learning: Even a few minutes early adds up and can impact progress.

  3. End-of-Day Review: Teachers review the day’s learning, which helps students reflect and remember.

  4. Organization Skills: Students practice packing up, planning homework, and preparing for the next day.

  5. Homework Instructions: Important directions are often given at the end of the day.

We understand that sometimes things come up, but being in class until the very end helps your child make the most of their school day. Unless there is an emergency, please do not plan to pick up your student(s) early from school.

To help reduce end-of-day congestion in the office and keep dismissal safe and organized, we ask that families avoid early pick-ups after the following times:

TK & Kindergarten

  • After 1:30 PM on Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri

  • After 12:35 PM on Wednesday

1st–5th Grades

  • After 2:25 PM on Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri

  • After 1:15 PM on Wednesday

Thank you for helping us keep our campus calm, safe, and focused during the busiest times of the day.