SHS Attendance Policy

Attendance Line:  429-3909 extension 49131

Priority #1 is GOOD ATTENDANCE!  Outstanding attendance and attitude result in higher achievement and academic success.  It is the responsibility of the parent and student to review attendance data, available in the portal of our student information system, Infinite Campus.   In the event of an attendance error by a teacher, it is the responsibility of each student to receive a blue slip from the attendance office to have a teacher fill out and sign to modify the absence or tardy within three days or the period marks will become unexcused.  Also, it is essential to have a current email on file with the school.

ABSENCES:

  • A parent/guardian must notify the Soquel High School Attendance Office with one of the excuses provided (next page) by 10:30 AM the day following the absence. It is preferred that an absence be excused the day of. A maximum of three school days is allowed to clear an absence. After 72 hrs, the absence becomes unexcused and your student may become eligible for Sat. School.
  • Absences due to any type of medical appointments require a confirmation note from the medical provider to receive an excused absence.
  • The Attendance Office phone number is 429-3909 extension 49131. A parent/guardian may leave a message on our voice mail 24 hours a day. Students with excused absences may request make-up assignments from their teachers by emailing their teachers directly.
  • Students who forge notes or phone calls will receive consequences (Saturday School or suspension).
  • Extended Absences: please review the Legally Excused Absences.
  • Should a student accumulate 14 absences due to illness and/or medical appointments within a school year, any further absences due to illness will require verification by a medical practitioner (AR 5113 c).
  • The school’s computerized dialer will make daily calls to confirm your student’s absence.  We are pleased to provide this service; however, the most reliable way to check absences and tardies (due to the three day grace period) is through the daily use of Infinite Campus.
  • If your child is marked A or T by a teacher error, it is the responsibility of the student to come to the office for a correction slip for the teacher to sign and the student to return it to the attendance office. We do not accept parent phone calls in these instances.

EARLY DISMISSAL PROCEDURES FROM CAMPUS:

  • If a student must leave school for a medical appointment or other reason, the student must obtain a pass with a parent note from the Attendance Office either before school, during Brunch or Lunch. Or, a parent must make a request for a student to be dismissed in person. A parent/guardian’s approval is required. If a student leaves school without a pass, the absence is unexcused, and will not be excused based on a telephone call, voice message or e-mail message after the fact.
  • Students are not to leave campus during Brunch.
  • Students may leave campus at Lunch, but must be back in time for their next class. If a student does not return for period A3/B3 for any reason, she/he must receive prior approval with a note or a direct personal request by the parent per EARLY DISMISSAL PROCEDURE. Missing a class after lunch due to automobile problems or other issues will not be excused.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

  • Our computerized dialer will call home nightly each time a student is marked absent, or tardy, from class if the parent has not already excused the absence. The parent or student will then need to access Infinite Campus to find the period/s missed. If you are not receiving these calls, please contact our Registrar immediately at 429-3909 extension 49131 to verify your phone number.
  • Letters of notification will be mailed home to students without a valid excuse in increments of three period absences of more than 30-minutes in any one period during the school day.
  • Students who receive a letter of notification after the first three truancies of thirty minutes or more will be assigned Saturday School on specified weekends from 8:30 A.M. until 12:30 P.M. Please review Saturday School protocol here.
  1. A letter will be sent home after the first three period truancies. Saturday School is assigned.
  2. A letter will be sent home after a total of 6 period truancies. Saturday school is assigned, a mandatory parent/student meeting will be held, and one or more of the following may occur after the second truancy letter:
    1. Exclusion from extracurricular activities, including dances and sports teams, which may be reinstated after a parent conference.
    2. Parents may attend school with student for one day.
    3. Work permits revoked/delayed. This privilege is awarded upon the condition that students have passing grades, good attendance and no discipline issues.
    4. If the parent and student do not respond to the request for a meeting, the student’s truancy status will not change, and the student will be ineligible for sports and dances.
  3. A letter will be sent home after a total of 9 period truancies. Saturday School is also assigned. The student may be referred to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), which may also result in a transfer to an alternative educational setting.

SCHOOL-WIDE TARDIES: Being punctual is a life and work place skill and it reflects respect for the time of others.

  • Every three tardies will count the same as an unexcused period absence in determining a student’s Saturday School obligation and eligibility. After the 12th unexcused tardy, the student will be required to attend a Saturday School session. Upon the 15th unexcused tardy the student will serve a Saturday School session and be ineligible for dances and sports until a parent/student conference is held. For every increment of three tardies after the 12th (e.g. the 15th, 18th, 21st and so on), the student will attend a Saturday School session and become ineligible for dances and sports. A student with an unexcused tardy greater than 30 minutes will be marked truant (UTD).
  • Teachers may implement a tardy policy specific to their classrooms in addition to the school-wide tardy policy.
  • Examples of unexcused tardies are: Stuck in traffic, Lateness to illness, Personal appointments, Running late, etc.

CHANGES IN EXCUSED ABSENCES
In accordance with the State of California Education Code, Santa Cruz City Schools will only accept illness, medical appointments (with a confirmation note from a medical provider on their letterhead), court appearances, funerals or religious observances (4 hours per semester) as excused absences. Absences for vacations or other parent approved reasons will not be considered excused and are, therefore, subject to truancy laws. This is a change from previous years’ handling of parental consent absences. The intention is to follow the education code and to encourage parents to send their children to school on school days and to plan trips during non-school days.

Please follow the guide below for absences and tardies:

Legally Excused Absences (Education Code Section 48205)
A student may be excused legally from school when the absence is due to:

  • Personal illness or injury
  • Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.
  • Medical, dental, optometric or chiropractic services rendered (only with a confirmation note from a medical provider on their letterhead)
  • Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family.
  • Jury duty in the manner provided by law.
  • Pupil is custodial parent of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during school.
  • Exclusion for failure to present evidence of immunization.
  • Exclusion from school because student is either the carrier of a contagious disease or not immunized for a contagious disease.
  • Pupils in grades 7-12 who leave school (with prior approval of the Principal or his/her designee) to obtain confidential medical services. The pupil is to return a copy of the medical professional’s appointment verification form.
Upon written request of the parent or guardian and prior approval of the Principal or his/ her designee and pursuant to board policy, a student’s absence may be excused. Reasons include, but are not limited to:
  • Appearance in court.
  • Observation of a religious holiday or ceremony (of his/her religion).
  • Attendance at religious retreats not to exceed four (4) hours per semester.
  • Employment interview or conference.
  • Attendance at funeral services for someone not a member of the immediate family.
  • Family emergencies.
  • Appearance at SARB or SART.
Note: All other excuses will be considered unexcused. Please review the Early Dismissal Policy.