Excessive Absences and Truancies
The law in California regarding compulsory school attendance for minors is very specific and carries penalties for both parents and minors for failure to comply with these regulations. The process is explained below with the purpose of providing full disclosure about the legal responsibility all parents have to make sure their children attend school on time, every day. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to provide your children with the finest education.
Excessive Excused Absences:
12 full-day excused absences in one school year are considered excessive. Parents will receive a letter from the school office as notification. 16 absences will trigger a second letter, and 20 absences will trigger a third letter.
To avoid this process, please try and provide a medical note from your doctor/dentist if your student has a need to miss school for medical reasons. Any absence excused by a medical note does NOT count toward your student’s number of absences.
Truancy:
Three full-day truancies (unexcused absences) in one school year will trigger a letter home. Six truancies will trigger a second letter, and nine will trigger a third letter.
Copies of the above letters are sent to the district’s Student Attendance and Discipline office. Students with truancies or excessive excused absences will be referred to a Student Attendance Review Team. This team is comprised of Poway Unified School District personnel and works with the student and parents to eliminate attendance problems and issues appropriate disciplinary measures.