Absence/Attendance

Attendance policies

Parents or guardians must email WESattendance@lvusd.org to verify a student's absence/s.
We no longer receive phone calls for absences.

*All absences must be cleared within 72 hours or the absence will be considered truant
absence (unexcused) and assignments may not be made up for credit. Parents will be
notified by an automated phone call regarding unverified absences.

Tardiness: A student is considered tardy when they are not in their classroom by the 8:15 AM
bell. After the 8:15 AM bell, the student must stop by the attendance desk to receive a tardy
pass before heading to class.

Late Arrivals: A student is considered LATE when arriving after 8:45 AM. It will be considered
a partial day unexcused absence unless it follows the Excused Absence Guidelines

STUDENT/PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND GUIDELINES REGARDING ATTENDANCE

EXCUSED ABSENCES FROM COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
Education Code Section 48205 permits a pupil to be excused from school under certain
circumstances.

● Illness
● Medical, dental, optometry, chiropractic services
● Quarantine
● Funeral of immediate family, limited to one day in State, three days out of State.
● Court Appearance*
● Illness of custodial child*
● Religious holiday or ceremony*
● Religious retreats limited to 4 hours per semester*
● Employment conferences*
● Other reasons pursuant to board policy*
● *Must be requested in writing by parent/guardian and approved by an administrator
prior to absence.
● *All absences MUST be cleared within 72 hours (AR 5113).

LVUSD PHILOSOPHY
The primary responsibility of the student is to be in class to maximize his/her opportunities for
success. Excessive tardiness and absences have a direct correlation to poor student
performance and are detrimental to the learning environment. Parents, students, teachers,
and administrators all have a shared responsibility to ensure that a quality education is a
priority. Las Virgenes Unified School District's attendance policy is directed toward achieving
that goal.

Full Day Absences:
A student can clear an absence by:

● Having a parent or guardian email WESattendance@lvusd.org the school to report the
full-day absence within 72 hours*. Please include your student's name, date(s) of
absence and the reason for the absence when you email. If the absence is one that
needs to be pre-approved (see list below) please bring a copy of the signed/approved
form.

All absences* MUST be cleared within 72 hours or the absences will be considered truant
absences (unexcused) and assignments may not be made up for credit. Parents will be
notified by phone and/or mail regarding unverified or unexcused absences.

Students are deemed truant (in violation of compulsory attendance law) if they have three or
more unexcused absences and/or tardies (30 minutes or more in duration) within one school
year. (Education Code Section 48260)

Part Day Absences:
● Students leaving campus for any reason throughout the normal school day must check
out in advance through the Attendance Office.
● A medical/dental absence must have a stamp from the doctor's office with the date for
the absence to be excused.
● Students should bring a note from their appointment to the Attendance Office first thing
in the morning before going to class. Students must sign out before leaving campus.
● Students must sign in at the Attendance Office when they return to campus.
● Students leaving campus for any reason and not checking out through the Attendance
or Health Office will be considered truant for that particular day. A parent phone call will
NOT clear a truant or unverified absence when a student has left campus without
authorization.

Students Arriving Late to School:
All students must sign in (signature and arrival time) at the Attendance Office before going to
class. An email from a parent/guardian must be received within 72 hours in order to clear the
absence*. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school within 72 hours of
an absence* by email to wesattendance@lvusd.org

Tardiness:
It is the responsibility of the student to be on time to school.

EC Section 48260 (a): Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or compulsory
continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse (EC48205) three full
days 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 the Superintendent of the school district.

Truancies:
A student is truant when absent from school or a class without the permission of the school or
parent. If a parent removes a student from class for any other reason other than those legal
reasons stated above, the student will be truant per EC Section 48260(a).

Discipline for habitually tardy elementary students will be addressed by the Principal or his
designee.

Students may not leave school without being checked out in advance by the Attendance or
Health Office.

Unexcused absences:
All unexcused tardies and absences will be dealt with in the same manner as truancy. It is the
responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school within 72 hours (AR5113) of an
absence by email to WESattendance@lvusd.org . Absent students are not permitted on
campus to attend a class, take a test or turn in paper/homework. Absent students who are
seen on campus are considered truant.

Absences, excused:
Illness will normally be excused with parent verification. A verification of an appointment by
the doctor or dentist (i.e., doctor's stamp, receipt, etc., but NOT a doctor's signature) must be
presented when the student returns to school. Full credit in the class will be given upon
completion of make-up work or tests. The time limit for make-up work is one day for every day
absent plus one day after returning from absence.

Absences, Excused (not ill): ED Code 48205
Absences due to death* in the family, religious observances*, court appearances*, illness of
custodial child*, religious retreat* (4 hours per semester only), employment conference or
other reasons pursuant to board policy MUST have prior approval from an administrator.
Notice must be received no later than two weeks before the absence begins. Full credit will
be given upon completion of make-up work or tests. The time limit for make-up work is one
day for every day absent, plus one day after returning from absence.

Independent Study:
Independent Study should be requested prior to the absences if your student will be absent
for 5 days or longer. Please inform the office manager or attendance person at your school as
well as the teacher at least 2 weeks/10 school days prior to the start of the absence to allow
sufficient time to assemble student work. The office manager or attendance clerk will have the
appropriate contract. You cannot request Independent Study after the student returns.

Illness or Injury During School:
A student who feels too ill to continue school must obtain a pass from their teacher to report
to the Health Office. Failure to report back to class or the Heath Office will be considered
truancy, unless the student has received permission to go home.

Make-up Procedure:
Students shall "make-up" assignments and tests during the time allotted by the make-up
procedure. Students will have only one opportunity to do so unless extreme circumstances,
as verified by the Attendance Office, cause further absence on the "make-up" deadline date.
Make-up work shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the work
missed during the excused absence. Students must initiate the process.

Off-campus Passes:
Requests by a parent for a student to visit a doctor, dentist, or other appointment should be
made prior to the appointment time. When returning from the appointment, verification from
the doctor/dentist (doctor's stamp or receipt but not a doctor's signature) will be required.
*Prior approval of these absences must be requested in writing by parent/guardian and
approved by an administrator.

Change of Address/Telephone Number
In order to process an address, please contact the Office Manager or Attendance Clerk in the front office.