5121 ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL

The State of California provides by law for compulsory school attendance by all children between the ages of six and sixteen unless subject to a stated exemption.

The responsibility for compliance with this law belongs to the parents, but the school is obliged to keep and maintain an accurate record of daily attendance for each student.

A written excuse dated and signed by the parent or guardian is required on the day of the student’s return following an absence (See 5128.2).

Each school shall establish the local procedures and policies necessary to monitor school attendance and to assure the health and safety of the students. A school may require parents of absent students to call the school on the morning of the student’s absence.

.1 Medical absence. Students are legally credited for attendance when time is spent in medical and dental appointments. Verification of such appointments is required from the medical or dental office. Appropriate notations must be made in the attendance register.

.2 Excused absences. In addition to medical absence, students may be absent due to illness, accident, quarantine, or attendance at the funeral services of a member of the student’s family.

In such cases of short-term absence, the school staff should assist the student to make up the schoolwork missed. If the illness or accident is such that a long-term absence is indicated, the local public school district should be contacted for home tutoring services after the student’s doctor verifies the necessity of a protracted absence.

.3 Absence for other reasons When parents wish to take their child out of school for several days for personal reasons, the principal should discuss the student’s progress with the parents and advise them of the effect such an absence would have on the student’s schoolwork. The principal is advised to keep on file a record of the recommendation made to the parents at the time the request was submitted. The final decision, however, is the responsibility of the parents.

The school is not under obligation to provide tutoring, make-up work, or special testing schedules for such a period of absence. The principal has final and absolute discretion to determine the conditions and terms governing such absences.

5122 TARDINESS

A student is tardy if he/she arrives after the time scheduled by the school for the beginning of the morning or afternoon session. If he/she arrives after morning recess, he/she is marked absent half a day.

A record of all tardiness shall be maintained. In each case, a written excuse from the parent shall be required at the beginning of the next school day. Local procedures should be developed to monitor and regulate incidents of student tardiness (See 5128.1).

5123 TRUANCY

If a student is absent without an excuse or if the school has reason to suspect the validity of the excuse, the principal should investigate the situation and apply appropriate remedies.

Any student who is absent from school without a valid excuse more than three days or who is tardy in excess of 30 minutes on each of four days or more in one school year is a truant and can be reported to the attendance office of the local public school district.

A student who has been reported once as a truant and who is absent again from school without valid excuse one or more days, or tardy on one or more days can be reported again as truant to the attendance officer of the local public school district.

A student is considered a habitual truant who has been reported to the attendance office as truant three or more times. The student is then subject to disciplinary action in accord with applicable provisions of this handbook (See 5177.1, 5177.3).

5124 RELEASE FROM SCHOOL

A dated written request or an authorization signed by the parent or guardian is required for a student to leave the school before the time of dismissal.

Students may be released to persons other than parents only under conditions specified in this Handbook (See 5124.2, 5161.1).

medical and dental appointments, but petitions for other important and appropriate reasons should also be honored.

.2 Emergency dismissal. Emergency dismissals may be made at any time by the principal or designated representative when a serious condition such as sickness, accident, emergency home conditions, etc., warrant it.

a) If conditions justify early dismissal, the student shall leave the school under conditions requested by the parents or specified on the emergency card. A student dismissed for illness shall be accompanied by a responsible adult (See 5128.3, 5154.3).

b) No student may be dismissed to return to his/her home during the school day, unless school officials are certain that a parent or other adult will be at home to receive him/her.

5125 EXCLUSION FROM SCHOOL

Students suffering from communicable diseases are to be excluded from school for at least the minimal period required by health department school exclusion regulations. Any special requirements for re-admission mandated by the health department must be followed (See ARG, Health Services).

5126 TRANSFER OF STUDENTS

The transfer of a student to another school is advisable only at the end of a semester. Intra-semester transfers, except for reason of change of residence, are discouraged.

When a student transfers from school without a change of address, special attention should be given to the entry on the Permanent Record as to “reason for transfer.”

5127 TERMINATION OF ENROLLMENT

A student’s enrollment may be terminated for academic or disciplinary reasons according to guidelines and procedures detailed in this Handbook (See 5127.1, 5127.2, 5177.1, 5177.2, 5177.3).

.1 Withdrawal for academic reasons. Certain students may be given a recommended transfer for grounds other than discipline. The following procedures apply to students clearly unable to profit from schoolwork at their present school, by reason of ability or emotional instability.

Written documentation of compliance with the following procedures is to be retained in the confidential file.

a) There is consultation between teacher(s) and principal as early as possible in the first

semester.

b) Conferences are held with the parents to advise them concerning the possibility of withdrawal for academic reasons and to discuss possible remedial actions and educational alternatives.

c) Follow-up conferences are held with the parents to evaluate progress of the student.

d) Every effort is made to assist the parents in finding other schools or agencies with facilities to help the child.

e) The final decision is made by the principal after consultation with the pastor.

f) Ordinarily, the transfer shall occur only at the end of a semester.

.2 Expulsions for academic reasons. If the parents of a student will not accept a recommended transfer after all the procedures cited in 5127.1 have been completed, the procedures for notification, conferencing, and written documentation shall be followed as in cases for disciplinary expulsion. Procedures for appeal and review cited in 5177.5 apply.

.3 Recommended transfer on grounds of parental behavior. Normally a child is not to be deprived of Catholic education or otherwise penalized for actions of parents.

However, the principal may recommend transfer of a student when parents have been persistently and overtly uncooperative with school staff, policies, regulations, or programs, or have interfered in matters of school administration or discipline to the detriment of the school’s ability to serve their own or other children. After reasonable effort to elicit the minimum requisite parental cooperation and after appropriate consultation with the pastor, the principal may recommend transfer in accord with the terms and procedures set down in 5127.1 (a-f). Documentation of the basis for this action and of all consultation with the parents on the matter must be retained on file.

If the parents refuse to accept the recommended transfer, the procedures for notification, conferencing, and written documentation shall be followed as in cases for disciplinary expulsion (See 5177.1). Procedures for appeal and review cited in 5177.2 apply.

Code of Christian Conduct shall be published in each school’s Parent-Student Handbook.

5128 REPORTS AND RECORDS

Each school shall keep an accurate record of applicants, admissions, and attendance and comply with all pertinent regulations of the Department of Catholic Schools and of the Attendance Bureau of the local school district.

.1 Record of attendance. Principals and teachers shall assume responsibility for checking the regular attendance of all students. Accurate up-to-date records for each elementary grade must be maintained in the Daily Attendance Register that is to be filed with permanent records at the end of the school year (See 5122). Secondary schools shall maintain these records according to standard local procedures.

All directions printed at the beginning of the elementary school register must be followed exactly. Special emphasis should be given to the regulations concerning the grouping of names and use of symbols. Only legal names are to be recorded. In each register, the directory information printed on the back pages must be completed for each student, or a class roster must be affixed. In addition to the accurate daily record of absences, the annual summary shall be entered on each student’s cumulative record.

.2 Verification of absence. Written excuses, dated and signed by a parent or doctor which verify a student’s absence, are to be retained on file until the end of the school year.

.3 Emergency information. A complete and current emergency information record for each student must be on file and readily available. School regulations should require parents to keep the requested information current (See 5128.3).