OHS Attendance

 A Guide for Students & Parents

Report an Absence:

Please email olh.attendance@sweetwaterschools.org 

Include the following in your message:

• Student Name (First and Last) 
• Student ID
• Date(s) of the absence
• Reason for absence
• Parent/Guardian Name and Phone Number

Attendance Guidelines & Protocols: 

• Students are required by state law to attend every class, every day.
• All absences are initially recorded as unresolved until an email, a phone call, or a handwritten note with legible signature from the parent/guardian is received by the attendance office.
• An automatic phone message will be made home after each un-cleared absence.
• All absences, including those related to sports, extra-curricular activities, and/or testing can take up to 48 hours to clear. 
• Any student submitting a forged or altered note will face disciplinary action.

Clear/Monitor Absences:

All absences must be cleared by parent/guardian within (30) calendar days according to the SUHSD policy Regulation code AR 5113 (D). If absences are not cleared within (30) calendar days, the student must clear absences through Saturday School. All parents/ guardians and students are encouraged to download the Infinite Campus App on their phone to receive instant attendance notifications. 

-Please click here for instructions.

-For a list of excusable reasons per Ed Code, please click here and read under Excused Absences 

Perfect Attendance:

To earn perfect attendance, the student must physically be present every day and on time to class. School sponsored events are considered present. Excused absences prevent a student from earning perfect attendance.

Excessive Excused Absences:

According to the SUHSD policy Regulation code AR 5113 (D, E), it has been established that it is reasonable to be absent 1 day a month (equivalent to 7 days per semester or 14 days in a school year). Having more than 14 days of excused absences, may place your child under an “excessive excused absence contract”.

-When in person, students can clear excused, as well as unexcused, absences in Saturday School; (1) one 4-hour Saturday School session will clear (1) one full day absence.

–Whenever an absence occurs for medical reasons, please make sure to provide a doctor’s note within (30) days, as these absences are coded differently. Board Policy can be found here.

If a student is absent 15 or more excused days a year or more than 7 days in one semester, the following steps may/will apply:

1. Excessive Excused Absence Contract (lasts 365 days from issuance)
2. If contract is not followed: PRE-SARB Contract
3. SARB (Student Attendance Review Board) A student with (9) full unexcused days absent will be subject to a hearing at the district office with a truancy probation officer. If a SARB contract is violated, the student will be referred to the Juvenile Justice System and/or be placed on probation.
4. Alternative school placement

Unexcused Absences:

The State of California believes that the first priority is that the child attends school on a daily basis. For example, Welfare & AFDC benefits may end or be reduced drastically, if a student misses more than (3) full days of school. Education Code Section 48260-48263 provides definitions and referral procedures for:

• Any student subject to compulsory attendance who is absent without a valid excuse more than three (3) days in one school year is considered a habitual truant. The district will automatically send truancy notifications when a student is marking unexcused (30) minutes or more on three separate days per California’s truancy laws.
• Any student defined as habitual truant who continues an unacceptable pattern of unexcused absences or tardiness may be referred to the district’s SARB.
• Students with (6) six or more unexcused absences past (30) days may be placed on a Pre-SARB attendance agreement. 
• Welfare and Institutions Code, Section 601 describes the consequences for habitual truancy if a minor pleads or is found guilty by trial to include but not limited to:
  • Being made a ward of the court (placed on probation).
  • Having a driver’s license revoked or denied until age eighteen.
  • Being placed in juvenile hall for violation of court order.

Chronic Illness Verification:

Students who have excessive tardies and/or absences due to a medical condition will need to have a doctor’s note on file for the current school year. Once the form below is completed and signed, please submit it to the school nurse (email:  maira.sosa@sweetwaterschools.org) as well as the attendance office.

• Chronic Illness Verification Form

Site-Based Independent Study Contracts:

If a student will be absent from school between 5-15 days, an Independent Study Contract must be completed:

-Parent(s)/guardians must email the Attendance Coordinator to request an Independent Study Contract Agreement. The request must be done 1-2 weeks before the absence is scheduled to begin; unless it is an emergency. This request must include the student’s full legal name, the dates the student will be out of school, parent/guardian signature, and the reason for the absence. 

*Note: Per district policy, contracts are not given during the week of finals for either semester.  

While on an Independent Study Contract, students are expected to communicate with teachers and to complete assignments during the absence period. Students will need to submit two (2) assignments to the Attendance Coordinator upon return to school in order to complete the contract and to clear the absences. If the agreement is not satisfied, Saturday School will be assigned and the absences will revert to unexcused.  

Attendance Coordinator: tabitha.toney-bump@sweetwaterschools.org

Off-Campus Permits:

Parent(s)/Guardians must come in person to the attendance office (at the window in the front) to sign an Off-Campus permit for their student. Proper identification is required and it must match the parent/guardian information listed in Infinite Campus. If the student will return the same day, they should bring back a medical note (if applicable). 

In order to keep students in a supervised, safe and orderly environment, the Board of Trustees establishes a closed campus at all district schools. Students shall not leave the school grounds at any time during the school day without written permission of their parents/guardians prior to leaving campus. A student who leaves campus for any reason without prior authorization will be unexcused which cannot be cleared by the parent. (Board Policy 5112.5)

No student will be released to anyone who is NOT listed as the parent/guardian in Infinite Campus: Students who are 18 years or older are still considered “minors” and must adhere to the same process above. 

** NOTE – We do not release students when there are less than 20 minutes left in the school day**

Emergency Authorization:

Please ensure that you have a valid phone number and current email on file in Infinite Campus. If you need to update, call the front office @ (619) 656-2400 to be directed to the Registrar’s Office. 

Tardy Policy:

A tardy is defined as the following:

• Any student who arrives late to school 29 minutes or less will be marked Tardy. At 30 minutes it will be marked as Tardy Unexcused, which is considered truant.
• Tardies must be cleared by a parent the same day by calling (619) 656-2403 or sending a parent and/or Dr’s note with the student to the Attendance Office.
• If parents do not clear unexcused tardies the same day, they can only be cleared by attending Saturday School or Lunch Detention. 

District policy 5112 states “classroom participation is an integral part of the learning experiences provided to students in the schools of the district. To the extent the failure to attend class results in a student attaining a certain prescribed minimum academic standards, this failure would properly be reflected in the grade the student receives.”

Citizenship grades may reflect unexcused tardies and absences; please refer to the individual teacher syllabus.

• Students will be excused according to justifiable reasons per the CA Ed Code with a parent/guardian note, call, or walk-in.
• Tardies must be excused the same day – Otherwise, unexcused tardies over 30 minutes are considered truants and marked TU30 in the system.
• Unexcused tardies can only be cleared in lunch detention or Saturday School.
• Tardies will only be cleared once ALL uncleared absences have been cleared. 

Note: Students on attendance agreements such as Excessive Excused Absences, Pre-SARB, and/or SARB who are late can only be excused with a medical note or with nurse evaluation and approval. 

SATURDAY SCHOOL:

• Students MUST show school ID to check in at the attendance window at 7:45am 
• Saturday School instruction will begin at 8:00am 
• Students will NOT be permitted to attend if they arrive after 8:00am
• Students must stay for all four hours (8-12pm) in order to clear attendance 
• If students leave early for any reason- they will NOT receive attendance credit
• To receive attendance credit, students are NOT allowed to switch classes 

Saturday School Dates 2023-2024

SEMESTER 1

SEMESTER 2