Pursuant to the California Education Code and the Chico Unified School District Policies and Procedures, student attendance procedures are:
Student Absences
School personnel will consider the circumstances and reasons for each
student absence and determine whether the absence is excused or
unexcused. Given parent authorization, school personnel will excuse a
student absence from school for the following reasons:
Illness
To receive medical, dental, optometrist or chiropractic services
Exclusion from school for health and safety (not more than 5 days)
Exclusion from school for head lice/nits (two days)
Attendance at funeral services for a member of immediate family
Observance of a religious holiday/ceremony
Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer
Student Tardiness
A student is tardy when he/she arrives in the classroom after the
tardy bell rings but before the first thirty minutes of the class has
been completed. A student is habitually tardy to a class when he/she
receives three (3) or more unexcused tardies per trimester.
School personnel will consider the circumstances and reasons for each
student tardy and determine whether the tardy is excused or unexcused.
Excused tardiness is understandable. Parents are encouraged to schedule appointments after school hours or later in the school day if at all possible.
The student will be expected to
make up work missed without penalty. Unexcused tardiness is
inappropriate and may result in disciplinary consequences.
Truancy
A student who is absent from school without a valid excuse in excess of thirty (30) minutes or more per day for four different days during the school year will be declared truant, and the parents will be notified of their obligation to resolve the truancy problem.
After 3 unexcused absences, a letter of truancy notification will be sent home. After 4 unexcused absences, a second truancy notice will be sent home and parents will be invited to attend a conference to discuss resolution of the truancy problem. A student with more than 5 unexcused absences will be declared an habitual truant and another parent conference will be scheduled. If suggested alternatives to reach resolution of the truancy problem are not followed through responsibly and successfully, the problem will be reviewed and consideration will be given to pursue a course of legal action.
We hope that these attendance procedures will help both the school and parents to work together in a cooperative manner towards our common goal of increasing each child's success in school. As parents, you have a great deal to do with the establishment of regular and punctual student attendance habits. Your cooperation and support of our attendance procedures will be greatly appreciated.