South Pasadena Unified School District

Elementary Attendance Policy

Attendance Clerk - Mrs. Amy

Please email [email protected] when reporting an absence or tardy. Please indicate your name, the student's name, grade, the teacher, and the reason for the absence or tardiness. Please do not call the school to report a tardy or absence, thank you!

Please do not reply to the Parent Square Email, it does not get forwarded to MHS Attendance, sorry for any confusion.

Punctuality - Beginning of the Day

One of the most valuable life skills a student can learn with the help of parents/guardians is the responsibility of arriving at school on time every day.  Furthermore, one of the most important times of the school day is first thing in the morning. This is the time when teachers define the plans for the day, instructional goals are reviewed and set, and important school and class news is announced.  The whole tone of a child’s school day is set in this first part of the day. Please support your child in learning the habit of punctuality to help with greater success at school and throughout life.

Monterey Hills begins at 8:10 AM when students enter classrooms.  Students are considered LATE if they are not inside their classrooms at 8:15 AM.  On rainy days, there is a grace period of 10 minutes; students are considered LATE if they are not inside their classrooms at 8:25 AM.

Arriving late can be disruptive for your child, the teacher and other students in the class.

• LATE = 30 minutes or less late to class (8:15 - 8:45 AM)
• • Parents may excuse up to 3 Late entries per trimester.  Thereafter, Lates will be reviewed and families will be contacted if Unexcused Lates exceed 5.
• TARDY = 31 minutes or later to school without a valid excuse (8:46 AM or later)

Please note: Students should only leave school early for medical appointments or rare, unavoidable reasons. If students are picked up early from school on multiple occasions, parents may be contacted to discuss. 

Attendance

Attendance is one of the biggest indicators of school success.  Students who attend school regularly are naturally exposed to more than those who are routinely absent; when students miss school they miss educational opportunities.  Valuable classroom lessons, interactive experiences, and discussions are unique to the learning environment. These shared experiences cannot be recaptured or retained when a student is absent.  Missing school hurts students’ confidence and motivation. It is also challenging for our teachers and staff to prepare our students for success if they are not in attendance. Please help prepare your child for success by establishing the habit of good attendance.  Our focus in South Pasadena, as well as at the state level, is that students should be present and on time at least 95% of the days in a school year.  

The state of California has a compulsory education law that states students are required to attend school punctually and regularly.  

• When a student misses 10% of the school year (18 days), regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused, he/she is considered “Chronically Absent.”  Ed Code: 60901 (c) (1)

Absences can add up quickly; a child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month.

SPUSD affirms the following  Attendance Levels:

Total Absences in a School Year

Outstanding 0 - 4 absences 98% - 100%

Meeting expectations 5 - 9 absences 95% - 97%

At Risk 10 - 17 absences 91% - 94%

Chronic 18 or more absences 90% and below

The following are types of absences as defined by the State of California Education Code:

Excused Absences       *Although excused, these absences still result in loss of state funding for our schools.

• Illness (after the 5th day of illness a doctor’s note may be required)
• Medical Appointment (e.g. medical, dental, chiropractic, counseling/therapy). Please bring in or email the medical note.
• Attendance at a funeral service for an immediate family member

• • Observance of a religious ceremony/holiday

• • Extraordinary family circumstances (excused at the discretion of the principal)

Unexcused Absences include all other reasons for absences not listed above.  

• Personal, Out of Town, Family Vacation, Oversleeping, Car Trouble, etc.

Verifying Absences  Please verify your child’s absence within 3 days with a written note, email or phone call.

Independent Study

Although SPUSD discourages students from missing school, we recognize there may be unavoidable events that occur during the school year.  If a student will be out of school for three to fourteen days under these circumstances, parents may request Independent Study. Please see the front office staff at least one week before the unavoidable event to discuss and possibly complete an Independent Study contract. Independent Study will not be an available option at the start and end of the school year.

To support our students in developing successful attendance and punctuality habits, the following steps will be implemented for excessive absences and late arrivals: