Student Attendance

Overview

The California Administrative Code and Education Code require Board approval of the method used for verification of absences in the District:

Legitimate Pupil Absences - for ADA purposes are as follows:

• Due to the student's illness
• Quarantine under the direction of the county or city health officer
• For the purpose of attending a funeral service of a member of the immediate family, so long as such absence is not more than three days, if the service is conducted outside of California
• For jury duty in the manner provided by law

Absence to Obtain Immunization

The Education Code deals with claiming attendance for up to five days for any pupil who has not been immunized, provided the District has not notified the parent or guardian of the pupil. The immunization requirement includes diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, poliomyelitis, and measles.

The District shall notify the parent or guardian of the pupil that they have two weeks to supply evidence either that the pupil has been properly immunized or that the pupil is exempted from the immunization requirement pursuant to Section 3385 or Section 3386 of the Health and Safety Code.

The notification shall include a source of medical care to obtain such immunization, such as the County Health Department. 

School Excused Absence for Justifiable Personal Reasons

• Bereavement in the event of the death of members of the immediate family, including parents, offspring, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and corresponding step relatives, court-appointed foster parents, legal guardians, or any other person regularly residing in the home
• Critical illness in the family, which has a direct impact on family members in the home (family is defined in the paragraph above)
• Appearance at SARB or satellite SARB meetings
• Attendance at events sponsored by certain organizations or groups as approved by the principal's designee
• Family emergencies
• Other exceptional circumstances to be approved by the school principal, which may include an appearance in court, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, family retreats, or an employment conference. A pupil shall also be excused when he or she is the custodial parent of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during school hours. Under this policy, attendance at religious retreats shall not exceed four hours per semester.

A written communication, signed by the parent or guardian, shall be submitted to the principal or the principal's designee, including a request that the pupil's absence on a specified date be excused, and a statement explaining the reason for the absence.

Requests for unpredictable absences to be excused must be received no later than the third school day of the pupil's return to school. Pupils emancipated or who are 18 years of age or older have the same responsibilities and privileges as other students, but may legally act for themselves in all types of absences.

School Site Administrators will ensure that every classroom teacher takes and keeps accurate attendance records. 

Principals will establish a Student Attendance Review Team  (SART) that is multidisciplinary. The SART's membership will consist of representatives from the following disciplines:

1. Administration
2. Counseling (academic/psychological)
3. Health Services
4. Teachers
5. Special Education when appropriate
6. Clerical Support

School attendance personnel will classify students as truants when they have missed at least three school days or period absences without having a valid excuse within the school year.

School attendance personnel will send a letter to inform the parents or guardians and the student of the truancy problem (first truancy letter).

School personnel will immediately establish a daily attendance sign-in program and, thus, monitor student compliance.

The student's counselor will be notified and a Student Intervention Plan will be established.

The SART must make every effort to meet with the student and parent(s) to address the reasons why the problem is occurring.

The SART will establish a Student Intervention Plan with the parent and the student to help them comply with compulsory attendance. This Student Intervention Plan may include, but is not limited to, academic support, health services, counseling support, special education, and case management.

The SART will periodically assess the attendance progress of all students and refer non-compliant students to the Youth Services Department Attendance Team. Kindergarten through 12th grade students will be referred to SARB. A representative from SART must present to the SARB. 

SARB will provide a School Attendance Agreement to parents of the students to inform them of their obligation to ensure that they attend school on time, every day.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD - SARB

The San Bernardino City Unified School District SARB, as a multi-agency partnership, recognizes the negative effects truancy has on the community. The mission of the SARB is to help students stay in school, attend school regularly and graduate. SARB is a community-based effort to bring together resources to assist families with attendance and truancy issues. San Bernardino City Unified School District’s SARB works in collaboration with community partners such as (but not limited to) the District Attorney’s Office, District Police, San Bernardino City Law Enforcement Branches, San Bernardino County Juvenile Probation Department, California Department of Corrections, The Autism Society, San Bernardino City Faith Community, Loma Linda University: Community Health & Education Workers and San Bernardino County Public Defender’s Making Attendance a Priority program (MAP).

A serious attendance problem often begins with only a few absences. District counselors, teachers’ nurses, district police officers and a school attendance review team may be brought in to help students at the school site level. As per Ed. Code 48263.6 when the school has exhausted all resources and a student’s attendance has not improved, a family may be referred to a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) hearing.

The SARB process has great potential to promote the understanding by pupils and their parents/guardians of the importance of regular school attendance. 

California Education Codes

48200 - Children Between Ages of 6 and 18 Years
Each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years, not otherwise exempted, is subject to compulsory full-time education.

48260 (a) - Definition of Truant
Any pupil subject to compulsory, full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent 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 attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.

48293 (a) - Penalties Against Parents
Any parent, guardian, or other person having control or charge of any pupil who fails to comply with compulsory education laws may be guilty of an infraction and/or fine.

Mission

The mission of the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) is to provide every student with a quality of education that will equip students for entry into the world of work or for post-secondary education.

To accomplish this mission, students must attend school daily and fully participate in the District's educational program. Therefore, the District will support and enforce the following California Education compulsory education laws.

California Education Code 48200

California Education Code 48200 requires that all children between the ages of 6 and 18 attend school. Ed Code 48260 classifies a student as truant if the student is absent from school three full days, or tardy by more than 30 minutes, and is without a valid excuse during the school year.

California Education Code 48260.5

California Education Code 48260.5 states that once the student meets the truant criteria, the school district must notify the parent, by first class mail or some other reasonable means of the following:

• The pupil is truant
• The parent or guardian is obligated to compel the attendance of the pupil at school
• Parents or guardians who fail to meet this obligation may be guilty of an infraction and subject to prosecution
• Alternative education programs are available in the District
• The parent or guardian has the right to meet with appropriate school personnel to discuss solutions to the pupil's truancy
• The pupil may be subject to prosecution under Section 48264
• The pupil may be subject to suspension, restriction, or delay of pupil's driving privilege pursuant to Section 13202.7 of the Vehicle Code
• It is recommended that the parent or guardian accompany the pupil to school and attend classes for one day

California Education Code 48293(a)

California Education Code 48293(a) states that any parent or guardian having control or charge of any student who fails to comply with compulsory attendance, unless excused or exempted, is guilty of an infraction and shall be punished as follows:

• Upon a first conviction, by a fine of not more than $100
• Upon a second conviction, by a fine of not more than $250
• Upon a third or subsequent conviction, if the person has willfully refused to comply with the section, by a fine of not more than $500

District Attendance Team

Attendance Assistants

Attendance Assistants are assigned to school sites to check on non-attending students and to attempt to bring these students to school. The Attendance Assistants also confirm addresses to follow up on mobile families.

• Patti Alvarado, Email
• Adrian Islas, Email
• Omar Pineda, Email
• Leticia Salas, Email

Youth Services Specialists

Non-attending kindergarten through high school students are referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) as requested by the California Education Code section 48263.

• Briseida Argueta, Email
• Brenda Chow, Email
• Erica Flores, Email
• Maura Vallejo, Email

California Education Code 48263

California Education Code 48263 - if a minor pupil in a school district of a county is a habitual truant, or is a chronic absentee, as defined in Section 60901, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during school attendance, the pupil may be referred to a school attendance review board (SARB), or to the probation department for services if the probation department has elected to receive these referrals. 

Páxám Páxám Welcome Center
746 N E St
San Bernardino, CA 92410
Phone: (909) 880-6812

Hours
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday