Attendance & Health Office

24 hour: Attendance line 805-520-6820
option 2 or ext. 1320

Attendance Office hours:
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Attendance Clerk: Carole Kotake

carole.kotake@simivalleyusd.org

The Simi Valley Unified School District attendance policy (BP 5110) is very specific regarding attendance for all students under the age of 18 years and recognizes the joint responsibility of the school district and the parents/guardians to work together to ensure good attendance patterns for all students.  Further, the Board of Education recognizes the relationship between student attendance in class and academic success.

 Truancy is against the law.  When truant, a student may be cited by the police and ordered to appear in court.  When truant, students are not allowed to make up any missed classwork, tests, or assignments.  Truancy directly affects a student’s grade and eligibility for activities at school. Students leaving campus without being signed out through the office will be suspended.

Students are required by law to attend school each day unless they are ill or have medical/dental appointments.  A student who has been absent for any reason during the school day is not eligible to participate in any student activity that takes place after school on the same day.

Only the following reasons are considered excused absences:

 1. Illness

 2. Medical and dental appointments

 3. Death in the immediate family

 4. Quarantine or immunization

 5. Personal business with verified parent explanation of the following circumstances:

         a. Appearance at School Attendance Review Board (SARB)

         b. Attendance at events sponsored by the school.

         c. Appearance in court (verification required)

         d. Observance of a religious holiday or ceremony or religious retreat (retreat not to exceed 4 hours during a semester)

         e. Attendance at a funeral service for a person other than a member of the immediate family.

         f. Other exceptional circumstances approved by the Principal.  Parents must make this request in writing in advance of the scheduled absence.  This approval will allow the student to make up tests and missed assignments. Vacations, extended trips, or absences for “personal reasons” are not excused absences.

Students are responsible for all work assigned while absent.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

Absences for any reason other than those listed above are NOT considered legal by the California Administrative Code and therefore are NOT excused.  Teachers are not required to provide make-up work or allow students to take tests missed because of absences that have been designated as “unexcused” or “truant”.

ABSENCE VERIFICATION

Parents must verify all absences by phone or note.  Any uncleared absence will be considered truant after 5 days and will be reflected on the student’s permanent record.  Habitual tardiness or absences may require additional verification and students who repeatedly do not have their absences verified on the day of their return to school will be subject to disciplinary action. Absences may be cleared by either of the following:

1. A Telephone Call - The Best Way: A parent or guardian is to call the attendance line each day their student is absent. (messages can be left 24 hours a day). 

2. A Note Sent with the student to the attendance office the day they return to school.

The required information for clearing an absence:

1. Student Full Name please spell if leaving a message or print if sending a note.

2. Grade of student

3. Reason for Absence

4. Your name (in message) and print and signature (for note) and relationship to the student.

For students arriving late:

Any student arriving after 8 am should go directly to the attendance office with a doctor's note, a note from a parent or a parent phone call with the reason student is late. Tardy students will be given a pass to class with either excused or unexcused notation in their attendance record. 

Tardy Policy

Weekly tardy reports will be run every Friday. All students with four or more unexcused tardies (all classes) will be assigned consequences accordingly. Parent notification will be sent home with the student upon earning four or more unexcused cumulative tardies. Lunch detention will be on Tuesday and Thursday each week.

Upon the fourth offense (16 or more cumulative tardies), the parent/guardian will be contacted by the Assistant Principal.

Tardies will reset each quarter.

Tardies can also affect students citizenship grade.

• First Offense (4 or more tardies): Warning sent home requiring a parent signature.
• Second Offense (8 or more): Lunch detention
• Third Offense (12 or more): Lunch detention
• Fourth Offense (16 or more): After school detention and parent called
• Fifth Offense (20 or more): After school detention and parent called
• Sixth Offense (24 or more): Saturday school and parent called.

Tips to Avoid Tardies

1. Plan your routes to class, try to make fewer trips to your locker.
2. Organize your locker EACH DAY for the things you will need
3. Make sure you don't keep EXTRA items in your locker that create clutter
4. Don't visit with friends during passing periods
5. Don't walk your friends to their classes
6. Don't wait for your friends while they are at their lockers