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Attendance Procedures

ATTENDANCE POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Regular school attendance is vital to successful academic growth. The interaction of students with each other in the classroom and participation in class are irreplaceable components of the learning process. Culver City High School values exemplary attendance habits.
 
All students are expected to maintain “satisfactory attendance.” Only students with satisfactory attendance may:
(1) maintain a senior off-campus lunch pass;
(2) attend the Homecoming Dance and Prom;
(3) attend Grad Nite @ Disneyland;
(4) Obtain and maintain a Work Permit (AR 5113.2);
(5) renew an opportunity permit;
(6) participate in the graduation ceremony.
 
Culver City High School defines as “unsatisfactory attendance” more than seven (7) tardies to any one class in a semester and/or absence for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three or more days in one school year (EC 48260). The major responsibility for attendance lies with the student and his or her parent/guardian.
 
Seniors with more than 14 absences during the year for any reason will not participate in the graduation ceremony.
 
No Go List Policy: Students with 3 or more unexcused absences from any one period during the quarter may be deemed ineligible to participate in extra curricular activities including team sports / events, AVPA, and extra curricular field trips.
 
THE STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING A READMIT from the Attendance Office before going to class. Readmits will be issued before first period (from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.), at nutrition, at lunch, and after school.
• On the day of the absence, the parent or guardian should phone the school before 10 a.m. to report the absence. The school phone number is (310) 842-4200, and the Attendance Office extension numbers are 3344 (A-K) and 3345 (L-Z). Phone and written notes must include the student’s name, dates and/or times of absences, and specific reason for the absence. The school must be notified each day of an extended absence. Parents/guardians are strongly encouraged but not required to confirm an excused absence in writing. Absence notes must be signed by a parent/guardian. (A written note does not automatically mean an excused absence.)
• Attendance is reported every period to the Attendance Office. Parents will be notified of absences by automated phone messages and computer generated letters. Parents are also encouraged to check the Parent Portal for up to the minute attendance reports.
• All absences will be considered unexcused unless cleared through the Attendance Office. Absences not cleared within five (5) days and any unexcused absence will be marked as a truant. The absence cannot be re-classified after the five (5) day period and will remain TRUANT.
 
Late Arrival/Pass Policy - students with a legitimate reason for arriving late (illness, medical appointment, religious or funeral attendance) must obtain a re-admit from the Attendance Office for clearance. Students who arrive late without a legitimate excuse will be marked Tardy or Truant. Notes from parents/guardians given directly to teachers to excuse tardiness will not be accepted. All students must report to class on time. Please be advised that notes, phone calls or visits form parents/ guardians to excuse tardies will not be accepted. Only a verified medical excuse (doctor’s note) will be accepted. Medical notes for being late to school must be submitted to the Attendance Office at the time of arrival to campus (within the first 30 minutes of class). They may not be cleared afterward.
 
Absence from class: A student is absent when s/he is more than 30 minutes tardy or is not present during a scheduled class period.
 
Pass required to leave campus during the school day: Students who need to leave during the school day for a medical appointment, etc., should submit a note from a parent before school to the attendance office. A “Permit to leave Campus” will be issued. The student is to show it to the teacher at the appointed time, leave class, and check-out at the Attendance Office. Parent(s) are to pick students up at the Attendance Office. The permit must be signed (by a doctor/dentist for a medical excuse or parent for an emergency) and returned to the Attendance Office upon returning to campus later in the day or the next morning. A re-admit will be issued if a student is taken ill during the school day and he or she obtain a pass to the nurse’s office from the teacher or school official. (A student should not call a parent first and ask to be picked up anywhere on campus other than the Attendance Office.) If the student is too ill to remain at school, the nurse will call and inform a parent so that arrangements may be made for the student to go home. The nurse will issue a “Health Office Excuse.” If the student is absent the next day, student should bring a parent note along with the “Health Office Excuse” issued.
 
Students who leave campus without a pass from the Attendance Office or Nurse’s Office will be considered truant. Telephone calls or notes to the Attendance Office after the student leaves campus without permission cannot clear the truancy.
Attendance Requirement: California state law requires all students to attend school until the age of eighteen or until graduation. The school’s Attendance Policy is consistently followed and uniformly enforced.
 
Excused Absences: Absences are excused for attendance accounting purposes for the following reasons only. (Education Codes 46010 and 46014 and CCUSD Board Policy AR 5113):
1. Personal illness (Education Code 48205)
2. Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer (Education Code 48205)
3. Medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic appointments (Education Code 48205)
4. Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family (Education Code 48205)
a. 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. (Education Code 48205)
b. "Immediate family" shall be defined as mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, spouse, son/son in law, daughter/ daughter in law, brother, sister or any relative living in the student's immediate household. (Education Code 45194, 48205)
5. Jury duty in the manner provided by law. (Education Code 48205)
6. The illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child to whom the student is the custodial parent (Education Code 48205)
7. Upon advance written request by the parent/guardian and the approval of the Assistant Principal, Attendance, justifiable personal reasons including but not limited to: (Education Code 48205)
a. Appearance in court
b. Attendance at a funeral service
c. Observation of a holiday or ceremony of his/her religion
d. Attendance at religious retreats not to exceed four hours per semester
e. Attendance at an employment conference
8. Service as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Elections Code 12302 (Education Code (48205)
9. Participation in religious instruction or exercises in accordance with district policy: (Education Code
(46014)
a. In such instances, the student shall attend at least the minimum school day
b. The student shall be excused for this purpose on no more than four days per school month. http://www.ccusd.k12.ca.us/board_ed/Policies/5000/5113ar.htm
10. Attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization when the pupil’s absence is 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.
 
Legal reasons for excused absences are limited to those listed above. All other reasons are “unexcused” under the State of California Education Code.
 
Unexcused reasons for being absent from school are considered truancies (Attendance code “U”) if the student voluntarily does the following. Absences for these reasons are “unexcused’ (Attendance Code “R”) if the parent or guardian requires student to do the following:
1. Personal reasons not classified as excused by California Education Code and CCUSD Board Policy (#7 above).
2. College visits.
3. Family vacation, going to the beach, lake, river, mountains or desert.
4. Getting ready for a date.
5. Babysitting, taking care of other family members.
6. Repairing car or household items.
7. Waiting for service or repair people.
8. Attending a sporting event other than a school sponsored event in which the student is a participant.
9. Other reasons not included in Education Code sections 46010 and 42805.
Unexcused Tardies for students include:
  • Alarm did not ring/slept late.
  • Car problems/flat tires/no gas.
Truancy: is defined as an unexcused absence from class, absence from class without school and/or parent/guardian knowledge or permission. Leaving class without permission before the class is officially over.
 
CCMC 13.03.101 states that all minors subject to compulsory education shall be enrolled and attending school during school hours. Students in violation of this ordinance shall receive a citation from the police department.
 
According to Education Code Section 48260, a pupil who is absent from school without a valid excuse for three days in one school year or is 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.
 
After the fourteenth (14) absence for illness, even if non-consecutive, the student must bring in a doctor’s note excusing the absence. When a student has had 14 absences in the school year for illness, any further absences for illness must be verified by a physician AR 5113 (c).
 
ATTENDANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
Attendance is a legal and professional responsibility that requires the accuracy of every member of the staff and substitute teachers. THE TEACHER must take attendance each period of each day. The teacher should keep a hard copy roll book in addition to submitting attendance via ABI in case of inquiries. ABI is the official record since it gathers the teacher’s attendance as well as the counselor’s, the Assistant Principal’s, and the parents. www.notification.com gathers the attendance data each evening at approximately 6 p.m. The parents of students marked absent one or more periods will receive a phone call at home the same night. Hence, please be certain to correct absences when students are tardy.
 
  • After the first day of school, PLEASE DO NOT ACCEPT ANY NEW STUDENTS REPORTING TO YOUR CLASS FOR THE FIRST TIME UNLESS THEY ARE ON YOUR ABI (computer screen roster). Students with a new “STUDENT CLASS SCHEDULE” are to begin that schedule the next day. (ABI rosters are updated each night). If they do not have a “Student Class Schedule,” please send them to the Guidance Office to get one.
  • Until such time as a student is officially dropped from your class, you must continue to mark the student absent. When a student is dropped from a class, the student’s name will disappear from the ABI roster. If a student in your class is absent two weeks, please contact the parent and the assistant principal of attendance.
  • PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR ATTENDANCE WITHIN THE FIRST TEN MINUTES OF THE PERIOD.
  • When students arrive tardy, the absence must be updated via ABI. A teacher may not legally mark a student absent if the student arrived to class within the first 30 minutes. If a student takes too long on a Hall Pass, they are NOT to be marked absent unless they have missed more than 30 minutes of class. For example, assign a teacher detention instead.
  • Any errors or updates that cannot be corrected by ABI should be reported within five (5) days on the “Attendance Correction Form” and submitted by the teacher to an Attendance Clerk (i.e., not hand-delivered by a student or T.A. or placed in a mailbox).
  • When you notice that a student’s attendance is marked “A” on ABI, please remind the student that absences not cleared within five (5) days and any unexcused absence will be marked as a truant. The absence cannot be re-classified after the five (5) day period and will remain TRUANT. Any student coded as truant three full days in a school year will be classified a truant by law.
The attendance clerks and administrators depend on each teacher’s accurate attendance records submitted at the beginning of each period!!! Parents, police officers, and probation officers call often to inquire whether or not a student is present in school.
 
Attendance records of individual students are frequently requested by governmental agencies (i.e., social workers, police officers, courts, judges, probation officers, and the District Attorney, etc.). When attendance is part of a student’s probation contract, the judge will often stipulate that the student may not be truant once to any given period within a sixty-day period. In these cases, an absence not corrected to a tardy may result in the student’s probation being extended by several months! Sometimes, when former students apply for a security clearance, their attendance records are requested many years later.
 
Monthly Attendance Reports are submitted to the district—and then to the state—approximately every three weeks for the purposes of collecting ADA. If any district does not submit accurate reports, fines can be substantial.
 
Our attendance records are audited at least once a year. The auditors typically select the attendance records over a two week period each semester of (12 to 64) teachers and students at random and check to see if there are any discrepancies among parent notes on file, phone logs to report student absences, Teacher Weekly Reports, re-admit slips, and Monthly Reports. The consequences of any discrepancies they discover may range from a write-up to substantial fines to the district.
 
SUBMITTING ATTENDANCE VIA ABI
  1. If the computer requires a login, click on the Control-Alt-Delete keys at the same time. The login is: Student Leave the password blank (do not type one in). Then click on Okay to sign in.
  2. Double click on the ABI Icon on the computer desktop. If there is no ABI Icon, open up Internet Explorer then find Aeries Browser Interface under the Favorites. If you can not find it you can type in the address, which is: http://10.10.1.10/abi/
  3. Type in the User Name and Password to sign into ABI.
  4. Once you are signed into ABI, click on the Attendance tab.
  5. A selection screen will display with the name of the school displayed at the top. Click on the Attendance option.
  6. The Current Period for the teacher signed into ABI and all the students currently enrolled will display. The Current Period is determined according to the bell schedule.
  7. The entry field for the date selected will display in yellow and the previous days will display in white with any previous absence codes entered.
    • Please DO NOT change an absence code entered by the Attendance Office (i.e., “I”, “E”, “F”, “X”, “S”, etc.).
    • When you notice that a student’s attendance is marked “A” on ABI, please remind the student that absences not cleared within five (5) days and any unexcused absence will be marked as a truant. The absence cannot be re-classified after the five (5) day period and will remain TRUANT. Any student coded as truant three full days in a school year will be classified a truant by law.
  8. Students are to obtain their re-admits from the Attendance Office before school, at Nutrition, lunch, or after school. Please DO NOT send students to the Attendance Office during class time to pick up re-admits. 8. To update the attendance click on the Absent or Tardy mark button for the student selected. A black dot will display below the Absent or Tardy mark.
  9. After all absence or tardy marks have been entered, click on Submit Attendance. Do this before leaving this page (within 20 minutes of starting or the computer session will time-out). The Submit Attendance button is at the top and the bottom of the list of students. This will automatically update the Aeries database and the date displayed in yellow will now contain the absence or tardy marks.
  10. If you need to make changes to the attendance file that you previously submitted that day, sign back in to ABI and correct the attendance and submit it. For example, if a student was originally marked absent and needs to have her attendance changed to tardy, sign back in to ABI and only make the change for that student. Changes can be made for that day’s attendance only until 6:00 PM. All other changes need to be submitted through the Attendance Office on the appropriate form by the teacher of record.
  11. It is important that the Attendance is submitted as soon as entry is completed for the period selected. The absence marks can be lost if you delay your submission.
  12. The attendance must be submitted even if there are no absences or tardies for the day. The Attendance Office is able to log into their computer to see who has and has not submitted their attendance each day.
  13. Do not leave your computer accessible and logged in to ABI. If you have to step away from your computer, logout from the computer to prevent unauthorized changes.
  14. Should you have any technology difficulties, please contact Kelli Tarvyd at extension 6020.
ATTENDANCE CODE TABLE
CCUSD uses the following attendance codes:
 
Code Title Definition
A UNVERIFIED Unverified absence; no re-admit
C COUNSELOR Non-absence; with counselor
D DISCIPLINE Non-absence; with administrator
E EXCUSED Excused absence, Verified
F FIELD TRIP Non-absence, Verified
G TARDY 30+ Unexcused tardy, 30+ minutes
H HEALTH CLINIC Non-absence; in Health Clinic, verified
I ILLNESS Excused absence, Verified
J TESTING Non-absence, Verified
K DR STMT Excused absence, verified with doctor’s note
L LATE Excused tardy, Verified
M MEDICAL Excused absence, Medical appointment
N NURSE Non-absence; with nurse; Verified
O I.S. PEND Non-absence; on Independent Study
Q TARDY MED Excused tardy (Medical), Verified
R UNEXCUSED Unexcused absence w/parental knowledge
S SUSPENDED Excused absence; student on Home Suspension
T TARDY Tardy to class
U TRUANT Truant from school or absence not verified within 5 days
V ACTIVITY Non-absence; out of class for verified school activity
W <30 LATE Unexcused tardy; student arrived to school within 30 minutes
X ISS Non-absence; student in In School Suspension;
teacher required to provide assignments
Y I.S. COMP Non-absence; student completed Independent Study contract
Z TARDY SWEEP Unexcused tardy; student caught in tardy sweep
 
TARDY POLICY
The staff of Culver City High School encourages each student to strive for academic excellence. Teachers are committed to providing quality lessons, which are challenging, rewarding and interesting for students. It is the students’ responsibility to take advantage of the learning opportunities that are offered each class period. All students are expected to be punctual and prepared for each class daily. A student is tardy if he/she is not in his/her correct seat and prepared to begin class at the ringing of the tardy bell.
 
CLASSROOM TEACHER PROGRESSIVE TARDY POLICY
 
All students are required to be in their seat and prepared to work (materials, pen, pencil, paper, etc.) when the tardy bell rings.
 
1st – 5th tardy in each class:
Any of the following:
 
a. The student is given a warning/student conference
b. Detention
c. Parent Conference or call.
 
6th – 9th tardy:
Any of the following:
 
a. Detention or Saturday School assigned
b. Student Conference
c. Parent Conference or call
d. Referral to Counselor.
e. Teacher assigns Saturday School. Parent called
 
10th tardy and each additional:
Any or all of the following:
 
a. Detention or Saturday School assigned
b. Student Conference
c. Parent Conference or call
d. Referral to Counselor
e. Referral to AP of Attendance-Parent contacted and student and parent may be referred to Student Attendance Review Board.
 
Please be advised that notes, phone calls or visits from parents/guardians to excuse tardies will not be accepted. Only a verified medical excuse (doctor’s note) will be accepted.
 
TARDY SWEEPS
Students are to arrive to each class on time each and every period. Tardy sweeps are designed to identify students who are chronically tardy to class/school while encouraging promptness. Virtual tardy sweeps occur every day 1st period and randomly during periods 2-6. Tardy sweeps for periods 2-6 are announced over the PA system after the tardy sweep has occurred. When a tardy sweep is being conducted, teachers simply need to take accurate attendance. All students marked tardy will be automatically assigned a detention, which will be reflected in their discipline file. Consequences for students caught in tardy sweeps: One hour detention.