Attendance Policy

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Because class attendance and participation is so important to student success, Ann Sobrato High School has established the following policies to encourage students to attend all of their classes. We ask that families work with us as a team to support this policy and student attendance. Daily attendance is important to success in school. Students are expected to have an attendance rate of 90% or higher to remain in good standing. All absences, excused or not, contribute to a student’s attendance rate. If a student’s attendance rate is less than 90%, they will not be eligible for any extracurricular activities.  

Communicating Attendance with Families and Guardians

  • Guardians are responsible for monitoring their student’s attendance. 

  • Guardians can log on to their Aeries portal or call the office between 8:00am and 4:00pm to monitor their student’s attendance. Please call (408) 201-6221. 

  • Guardians are also encouraged to email individual teachers regarding potential attendance errors or other issues of concern.  Teachers should respond within 2 business days. 

  • Any time a student is absent from one or more class periods in a day, an automated system will call home that day to inform the guardian. It is important that the school has the correct primary number on file. 

On Time Policy

Students are on time if they are sitting at their assigned seats and prepared for class when the bell rings. In Physical Education, students are on time if they are inside the locker room when the bell rings. 

Consequences for Tardies

  • 1-5 Tardies in any one class: Three tardies equal one unexcused absence. If a student misses more than 30 minutes of class, the tardy will count as unexcused absence and truancy processes will apply.  

  • 6 or more Tardies in any one class: Students may be referred to the administration. Students with excessive tardies are subject to disciplinary action. 

  • As a consequence for each additional tardy, students may be assigned further consequences aligned with restorative justice practices. 

Consequences for Unexcused Absences

  • State of California approved excuses for missing class are illness, doctor or dentist appointment, funeral, religious observance, and court appearance. 

  • At 6 unexcused absences in any one class during the semester of occurrence, the student loses the opportunity to participate in all extracurricular activities (athletics, band performances, dances, any senior activities, etc.), and may lose their work permit. 

  • At 8 unexcused absences in a class in the same semester, the student may receive an “F” and be ineligible for credit for the semester, however the student will not be dropped from the class. Under certain circumstances, a guardian may request that the student be dropped from the class, in which case the student will receive a W/F (Withdrawal/Fail) for the semester 

  • 3 unexcused tardies are equivalent to 1 unexcused absence. 

Excusing Absences 

  • To call the Attendance Office, please dial (408) 201-6221 at any time, day or night.  Attendance clerks are available from 8:30am-4:00pm or you can leave a voicemail at any time of the day or night. 

  • To excuse an absence, the guardian must notify the Attendance Office in one of these ways: telephone call, in person, or a signed note. 

  • Guardians have 3 school days after the date of an absence to excuse the absence.  If an absence is not excused within 3 days, it will remain in the record as an unexcused absence. Under no circumstances are absences cleared at the end of the grading period or before school events such as dances, etc. 

  • If a student has accumulated 14 absences in the school year in any one class period due to any reason, including illness, any further absences for illness must be verified by a physician. When deemed necessary by administration, a physician’s note may be required for ANY illness related absence.  

Releasing Students From Class 

  • Students who have doctor, dentist, or other off-campus appointments must have a guardian call or write a note to the Attendance Office prior to 8:30 am on the day the student must be released early from school.

  • Except for extreme emergencies, class time will not be interrupted to call a student to the office to leave school.  Guardians must be prepared to show a picture ID to verify information on the student’s emergency card when picking up a student to leave campus during the school day.  Students must check out through the Attendance Office when leaving campus.  Failure to do so may lead to disciplinary action.  Students will be given an off-campus pass when they leave.  Students that park in the student parking lot must ask a campus monitor or Administrator to open the student driveway gate.

Making Up Work 

Attending classes every day is crucial to student success in a comprehensive high school program. The most challenging aspect of a student being absent from school is making up for the missed coursework. Below are guidelines to keep students from falling behind: 

1-4 Days’ Absences 

Email - The student and/or their family may email the teachers directly for an absence of 1-4 days. Teachers will respond within 2 business days.  Teachers’ email addresses can be found on the school website. The student should always make arrangements with the teacher to make-up any missed quizzes, tests, projects, presentations, or lab work that was missed. The student has as many days as they were absent (for excused absences) to make up missed work.  

Students may not receive credit for assignments or tests missed because of an unexcused absence. For excused absences, students will be allowed to make up class assignments and evaluations. It is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with the teacher for making up this work. The minimum time a teacher should allow a student to complete this work is the number of consecutive days that the student was absent. 

5 -15 Days’ Absences 

Short-term independent study contract – When a student knows in advance that they will be out for 5 or more consecutive days, a short-term independent study contract can be requested through the attendance office. This is a formal agreement which includes all work that the student will miss. The teachers assign work for the number of days that  

the student will be absent, and the work is due the day the student returns. This contract must be requested prior to the absences occurring. The family should request this as soon as they know that the student will be out for 5-15 days. If the conditions of the independent study contract are not met, part or all of the attendance contract will be canceled, which will result in unexcused absences and could initiate the truancy process. 

16+ Days’ Absences – See a counselor or administrator immediately for an educational alternative. 

Truancy Process

If a student has 3 or more unexcused absences in any class, the truancy process will begin for that student.  The truancy process includes notifications sent home, a home visit, and meetings with administrators.

Appeals for Students Losing Credit for Excessive Absences 

When a student loses course credit due to this Attendance Policy, and it is believed that there were extenuating circumstances that should be considered, a written appeal may be filed with the principal within 7 days of receiving the report card. The appeal will be reviewed by up to at least 3 school officials and the guardian and student will be notified of the decision within 14 days.