Montemalaga Elementary School
Attendance Policies and Procedures
Absence Policies:
By law, compulsory education requires all persons ages 6-18 to attend school. Education Code Sections 48260 & 48200 state that a student is considered truant if:
The student is absent from school without a valid excuse for three (3) full days in one school year
Or
The student is tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three (3) occasions in one school year
Or
Any combination of the above
A student’s absence shall be legally excused for the following reasons (Education code 48205):
- Personal illness
- Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer
- Medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic appointment
- Attendance at a funeral service for a member of the immediate family
- Excused absence in this instance shall be limited to one (1) day if service is conducted in the state of California, or three (3) days if the service is conducted out of state
- Immediate family shall be defined as mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, or any relative living in the student’s immediate household.
- Upon advance written request of the parent/guardian and the approval of the principal or designee, a student’s absence shall be excused for justifiable personal reasons including, but not limited to:
- Appearance in court
- Attendance at a funeral service
- Observation of a religious holiday or ceremony of his/her religion
- Attendance at religious retreats not to exceed four (4) hours per trimester
- To spend time with his/her immediate family member who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined by Education Code 49701, and who has been called to duty for deployment to a combat zone or a combat support position or is on leave from or has immediately returned from such deployment
- Participation in religious exercises or to receive moral and religious instruction in accordance with District Policy
- In such instances, the student shall attend at least the minimum school day
- The student shall be excused for this purpose no more than four (4) days per school month
Absence Procedures:
- A parent/guardian must clear a student’s absence with the school office within three (3) days of the absence. After three (3) days, an absence is considered unverified and will remain unexcused-
- If your child is absent five (5) or more consecutive school days due to illness, please provide a doctor’s note upon return to school
- If your child has been absent for any part of the school day due to a medical/dental appointment, please provide a note from the doctor’s office
- Each day your child is absent from school, please notify the school office by sending a written note or by calling and leaving a message before 2:00 pm on the “Absence Hotline”
- Call 310 378-5228 and listen to the recording for instructions
- When leaving a message on the Absence Hotline, please clearly state:
- The name of the student
- The reason for the absence
- The name of the teacher
- Your relationship to the student
- For pre-planned absences of three (3) or more consecutive days, an Independent Study Contract should be arranged through the classroom teacher, whereby the school district does not lose money for ADA. It is important to understand that the substitute activities and assignments given cannot replace the interaction and dynamics that are part of the learning experience within the classroom. Our teachers ask that family activities be planned during school holidays and summer/winter/and spring vacations. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Tardy Policies:
- School begins at 8:30 for grades K-5
- Students must arrive on time to school. They will be considered “tardy” if they arrive after the 8:30 AM bell.
- Students who are tardy 30 minutes or more three times per school year without a valid excuse will be sent a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) letter indicating that this constitutes truancy and will be reported to the County.
- Students who are tardy less than 30 minutes three timers per trimester without a valid excuse will be sent a School Attendance Review Team (SART) letter and will be asked to attend a SART meeting with the Principal.
Tardy Procedures:
- First-Fifth grade students may arrive on the playground/school campus no earlier than 8:15 AM. Please do not drop students off before 8:15 AM unless they are enrolled in a supervised before school activity. When the 8:15 bell rings, First-Fifth grade students may go to the upper field area. Kindergarten students go directly to the Kindergarten yard at 8:15 AM. TK students follow the direction of the TK teacher.
- When the bell rings at 8:30 AM students line up for class on the upper field-
- Students arriving after the beginning of school at 8:30 AM are considered tardy and must go to the school office to get a tardy slip-
- Tardiness is only excused for medical or dental appointments. Please provide a note from the doctor’s office and obtain a tardy slip at the school office after all medical or dental appointments.
Revised June 2022