Attendance

Our goal is to provide every student with the education and skills necessary to be successful in school and in life. Being present and engaged in school is important to achieve this goal.

Each person in California between the ages of 6 and 18 years, who is not legally exempt, is subject to compulsory school attendance.  Each parent or guardian has the responsibility to send students to school for the full time of the school day as designated by the Board of Education. (EC 48200) A written excuse shall be submitted by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal. (EC 48205) A major goal of the District is the improvement of attendance.  While the district cannot guarantee that “learning will occur just because a child is in school,” it can guarantee that learning will not take place if the child is absent.  There is a strong correlation between attendance and learning.  Good attendance generally leads to improved learning.  

Parents or guardians will be given three days to provide the school with documentation for a student’s absence.  A student can be declared a truant on the third unexcused absence.  After three days, all uncleared absences will be converted to unexcused.  Exceptions for absences must be approved by a school administrator. Students with excused absences, as specified, shall be given the opportunity to make-up, for full credit, all assignments and tests missed that can be reasonably provided and completed, with no grade reduced or academic credit lost.  (EC 48980)  

Any student subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuing education who is absent from school without a valid excuse for 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, is a truant and shall be reported to the district’s attendance supervisor or to the Superintendent of the school district.  Excessive excused absences are defined as absent from school for five (5) or more days out of twenty (20) school days or a pattern of irregular attendance.  (EC 48260, 48263)

Moreno Valley Unified School District urges parents/guardians to make sure their children attend school regularly and to schedule medical and other appointments so that a student misses none, or only a small part of the school day.  The District also requests that travel or other absences be avoided during the time school is in session.  The higher the student’s daily attendance rate, the more a student will learn and the greater the amount of funding that the District will receive from the state for classroom instruction and academic programs.  

Following an absence, a parent/guardian is required to provide verification of the absence, verbally or in writing, upon the student’s return to school.   Illnesses and doctor and dental appointments are considered excused absences. Verification from the doctor or dentist is recommended.  Children should not be sent to school when they are not feeling well.  Once a student has been excused for an absence on more than 14 occasions, a Doctor’s note may be required. Absences without an excuse, within three school days, are recorded as unexcused. Exceptions for unexcused absences may only be excused by the school principal.

The school calendar is designed to minimize problems for families that plan vacations around traditional holiday periods, thereby minimizing student absences.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

(a) Notwithstanding Section 48200, a pupil shall be excused from school when the absence is:

1.    Due to the pupil’s illness, including an absence for the benefit of the pupil’s mental or behavioral health (Senate Bill 14, Approved and Filed October 8, 2021).

2.   Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.

3.   For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic services rendered.

4.   For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of his or her immediate family, so long as the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in California and not more than three days if the service is conducted outside of California.

5.   For the purpose of jury duty in the manner provided for by law.

6.   Due to the illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child of whom the pupil is the custodial parent.

7.   For justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, or attendance at an employment conference, or attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a non-profit organization when the pupil’s absence has been requested in writing by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board.

8.   For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Section 12302 of the Elections Code.

9.   For the purpose of spending time with a member of the pupil's immediate family, who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in EC § 49701, and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support position. Absences granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be granted for a period of time to be determined at the discretion of the superintendent of the school district.

10 For the purpose of attending the pupil’s naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen.

11. For the purpose of participating in a cultural ceremony or event (Assembly Bill 516, Approved and Filed September 24, 2021).

(b)  A student absent from school under this section shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can be reasonably provided and, upon satisfactory completion within a reasonable period of time, shall be given full credit.  The teacher of any class from which a pupil is absent shall determine the tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence.

(c)  For purposes of this section, attendance at religious retreats shall not exceed four hours per semester.

(d)  Absences pursuant to this section are deemed to be absences in computing average daily attendance and shall not generate state apportionment payments.

(e)  “Immediate family,” as used in this section, has the same meaning as that set forth in Section 45194, except that references therein to “employee” shall be deemed to be references to “pupil.”

 

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM

Students who are absent for more than 10% of school days are considered chronically absent and are less likely to read at grade level and more likely to be at risk of dropping out of school before completing high school. 

SHINE with the PAAC!

PHENOMENAL ATTENDANCE, ACADEMICS, & CITIZENSHIP

WHAT IS SHINE with the PAAC?
The premiere recognition program at Sunnymead Elementary which students earn incentives for Phenomenal Attendance, Academics, & Citizenship during each PAAC Track*!

 

HOW does a student QUALIFY?

Achieve two out of three (2/3) of the following during each PAAC Track*:

ATTENDANCE:  Goal is 95% positive attendance (no more than 2 absences or no more than 4 late passes)*

ACADEMICS: Academics will be measured by time on Imagine Math and Imagine Literacy and Learning. Times will be based on the grade level expectations

CITIZENSHIP:  no more than 2 low levels (classroom or minor playground / lunch infractions).  No major referrals or suspensions