Attendance is IMPERATIVE! Getting to school on time is one of the most important ways you can be successful in school. The State of California believes that education is essential for children and for our future. State law requires parent/guardians of children ages 6-18 to send their children to school, unless otherwise provided by law. Parents who fail to meet this obligation may be subject to prosecution.
Excused Absences
A student's absence shall be excused for the following reasons:
- Personal illness (EC 48205)
- Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer (EC 48205)
- Medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic appointments (EC 48205)
- Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family (EC 48205) Excused absence in this instance shall be limited to one day if the service is conducted in California or three days if the service is conducted out of state. (EC 48205) "Immediate family" shall be defined as mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, spouse, son, daughter, brother, sister or any relative living in the student's immediate household. (EC 45194, 48205)
- Jury duty in the manner provided by law (EC 48205)
- The illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child to whom the student is the custodial parent(EC48205)
- Participation in religious instruction or exercises in accordance with Charter School policy: In such instances, the student shall attend at least the minimum school day. The student shall be excused for this purpose on no more than four (4) school days per month.
Method of Verification
When students who have been absent return to school, they must present a satisfactory explanation verifying the reason for the absence. The following methods may be used to verify absences:
- Written note from parent/guardian, parent representative, or student if 18 or older.
- Conversation, in person or by telephone, between the verifying employee and the student’s parent/guardian or parent representative. The employee shall subsequently record the following: Name of student, Name of parent/guardian, or parent representative, Name of verifying employee, Date or dates of absence, Reason for absence
- Visit to the student’s home by the verifying employee, or any other reasonable method, which establishes the fact that the student was absent for the reasons stated. A written recording shall be made, including information outlined above.
- Physician’s verification: When excusing students in grades 7-12 for confidential medical services or verifying such appointments, Charter School staff shall not ask the purpose of such appointments but may contact a medical office to confirm the time of the appointment.
Unexcused Absences
All absences without written or telephone notification will be considered unexcused. Students with excessive unexcused absences will be considered truant. Students must clear their absences within two days after returning to school or the absence may be considered truancy. Students ill for three (3) consecutive days or more are required to have a doctor’s note.
Truancy
School absences are monitored carefully throughout the year. If a student has five (5) excused or unexcused absences in a school year, a letter will be sent home. If the student accumulated ten (10) excused or unexcused absences, a conference will be scheduled and the truancy process will be initiated. All efforts will be made to resolve a student’s attendance problems. When the problem cannot be resolved, or the student and parent/guardian have failed to respond to directives to correct the problem, a student who has been classified as truant may be referred to a Student Study Team (SST) meeting or other age appropriate agencies. A student’s grades may be affected by excessive unexcused absences in accordance with GCC policy.
Students shall be classified as truant if absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year, or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof.
If on-going truancy persists after CAA and GCC interventions are exhausted, the student may be referred to the Probation Department or other law enforcement agency.
Make-Up Work
A student with an excused absence from school shall be allowed to complete all assignments missed during the absence and, upon satisfactory completion, be given full credit. The minimum number of days allowed for such make-up is equivalent to the number of days the student has been absent. The assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence. A pupil may not have his or her grade reduced or lose academic credit for any excused absence when missed assignments and tests are satisfactorily completed within a reasonable period of time. (EC 48205)
Short Term Independent Study
California Aerospace Academy offers short term independent study as an optional educational alternative for students who desire to and demonstrate the capacity to benefit from independent study. The independent study program is available to students that plan to be ill or absent for 3 or more school days. Parents should contact the Principal to learn more about short term independent study at least one week in advance of the absence so that work may be prepared. Short term independent study may be used only in extreme cases and is subject to the approval of the Principal.
Arrival and Dismissal
Students are not to arrive before 7:30 a.m. as there is no supervision before that time. Upon dismissal, students are to promptly leave campus. For safety reasons, students need to be picked up within 15 minutes after dismissal from their last class.
Arriving Late to School
Students arriving late must report to the office for an “admit slip” before going to class. It is important to be on time for school. Missing the bus or oversleeping are not excused tardies. Tardies are excused only for medical and dental appointments, injury, and/or illness. A note from parent/guardian must accompany a student upon arrival to school. As with absences, excused tardies are limited in their scope. Students receiving 2 or more unexcused tardies are subject to discipline consequences.
Early Dismissal
Sometimes it is necessary for students to leave school early for reasons that are unavoidable. However, we request that parents schedule medical and dental appointments after school hours rather than during valuable instructional time. When a student must leave during the school day the following procedures are expected:
Parent – Send note to school on the day of dismissal explaining the reason, time and date the student is to be released. Parent must come into the office before the student is dismissed and sign student out on the daily log. The secretary will then call for the student. Students are not to leave on their own.
Student – Bring note to office before school to receive an early dismissal pass. Students may not be off campus without a pass. Students may not pick up an early dismissal pass during school time.
Off Campus Passes
For your safety and to maintain the academic integrity of the school, California Aerospace Academy maintains a “closed campus”. Once a student arrives on the school grounds, he/she must remain on campus until the end of the school day unless there is a note from the parent/guardian requesting an early dismissal. If a student must leave the campus during the school day for any reason, the student MUST first report to the Attendance Office with a verification of the reason for leaving campus. The student will be issued an “OffâCampus” pass. This pass must be returned to the Attendance Office when the student returns to campus. Failure to check in or out will result in the student receiving a “cut” for all classes missed. Parents picking up students during the school day must sign out the student in the office. If a student leaves school grounds without permission, he/she is considered truant and is subject to disciplinary action. (E.C. 44808.5)
