Attendance Information

LEAVING CAMPUS DURING SCHOOL HOURS

Parents/guardians can send a note with a student to school or email in the morning.  The note can be turned in to the office before school begins and should include the date, time, purpose for leaving campus, and who will be picking up the student or if they will be self checked out.. The office staff will complete a GROUNDS PERMIT form and provide a copy to the student.  When it is time for the student to leave campus, the Grounds Permit will serve as a pass so that the student can be dismissed from class and meet their parent/guardian in the office.  Please allow extra time for the student to be called out of class as students will not be called out of class until a parent/guardian is in the office. Be aware that student pick ups during Brunch, Lunch, or PE classes may require additional wait time.

INDEPENDENT STUDY

Parents/guardians may request an Independent Study Contract from the Attendance Clerk. Since the requirements of the Independent Study Agreement cannot be met at the beginning or end of a school year, nor the beginning or end of a quarter or semester, students will not be permitted Independent Study during those times.  In order to earn completion of independent study teachers must review the work assigned. Only students who will be absent from school for 3 - 14 consecutive school days qualify for Independent Study. Families must communicate this request at least 10 days prior to the start of Independent Study and submit all assigned school work no more than seven days after the contract ends. This is an option for students to remain on track with their schoolwork and for the school to receive its ADA funding. All documents are done online via DocuSign and require both student, parent/guardian and teacher signatures.

ABSENCES

All absences must be verified by a parent/guardian or the absence will be coded as truancy. 

ABSENCE VERIFICATION

Parents/guardians can excuse a student’s absence by writing a note or an email to [email protected] (attendance clerk), phone calls are not allowed. Absence verification must be done within 3 days of the absence (per district policy). Please include a student’s full name, date(s) of absence, and reason for the absence. A daily attendance message is sent home to all parents/guardians via voicemail and email to notify parents/guardians of any absence. The attendance message is sent as a reminder to all parents/guardians. Please note that the attendance email and voicemail will be sent home to all parents/guardians, including those who have already notified the attendance clerk by email. It may take up to 3 school days to verify and change absence codes. Please note that absences will not be verified via phone calls to the attendance clerk.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Excused absences include illness (I), medical (X), dental (X),  religious reasons (X), or personal counseling per Education Code 46010. Students absent from school for FIVE consecutive days or more require a doctor’s note.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

School absences because of the following reasons: personal (P), out of town (U), family vacation (U), oversleeping (U), or car trouble (U), are not considered by the State of California as valid reasons for being absent from school.

MISSING ASSIGNMENTS DUE TO ABSENCES

It is the responsibility of the student to email teachers, check teacher websites, and follow up with teachers on any missing assignments after any absence(s) in a timely manner. Students will adhere to teacher make-up work policies. 

LATE/TARDY/TRUANT

A student is late to class if they arrive within 30 minutes of the start of class. A student is tardy if they arrive more than 30 minutes late to class. If a student misses more than half of the class, they are considered absent. Truancies are when a student is absent without the consent of the parent/guardian (Ex. This includes skipping or cutting classes). This category of attendance will result in consequences from the school administration.   

ATTENDANCE CODES

Parents/guardians and students can monitor and track attendance online (my.spusd.net). The following codes will appear under a student’s attendance record if the student was absent due to any of the listed reasons below.

LATE/TARDY/TRUANT POLICY

Students are expected to be on-time and prepared for every class.  Students arriving after 8:00 am must check into the office to receive an ADMIT SLIP BEFORE going to class. Each quarter a student begins with zero late or tardy marks.  Students who reach step 3 in two or more quarters will be referred for a SART meeting.

CHRONIC ABSENCE/TRUANT POLICY

The state of California has a compulsory education law which states that 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. The goal of the below criteria is to communicate with students and parents/guardians, identify the cause of absences and improve student attendance. Our district goal is that all students have an attendance rate that is 95% or higher. SPUSD Secondary Attendance Policy

Updated:  June 2025