Attendance Reporting Procedures
Attendance
REPORTING AN ABSENCE
To clear an absence:
- Call 925-672-4840
-
Email attendance line: mdesattendance@mdusd.org
- Or email the attendance secretary at: kirknimrm@mdusd.org
When leaving a message, please include the following:
- Child’s full name
- Date of absence
- Teacher’s name
- Reason for the absence (illness, vacation, funeral, etc.)
- Your name and relationship to the student
It is important to clear an absence within 72 hours. After three unexcused absences, a child can be declared truant. A total of 10 days absence per year is considered excessive. Our office will mail absence letters to remind parents if absences are excessive as part of our “Every Day Counts” program. The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is absent excessively.
EVERY DAY COUNTS!
Daily school attendance is extremely important. Please do not schedule family vacation times for when school is in session. The instruction a student misses with his/her classroom community can NEVER be made up. Even if the written work is completed, student learning is compromised. In addition, the school and district lose valuable funding for each day each child misses school.
Excusable reasons are illness or injury, doctor or dental appointments, funerals and religious holidays. Family events and vacations are not excusable and will be recorded as an unexcused absence.
We appreciate your support in this area since it demonstrates to your child that school is important – a positive attitude for students to develop.
TARDINESS
School begins at 8:00 a.m. Students who arrive late must go directly to the office for a tardy slip before they go to class. If the parent cannot escort student to the office, a note from the parent is required with a valid excuse.
A tardy of 29 minutes or more without a valid excuse is considered truant. Please remember that a valid excuse may be a medical/dental appointment or illness. Waking up late, or traffic are not considered valid excuses.
The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is tardy excessively.
EARLY RELEASE FROM SCHOOL
Students who must leave school during the regular day should have a note from the parent to the teacher indicating the time the child is to be excused and the reason. The parent or designee on the emergency card must pick the student up from the office, where they will be asked to sign a register and to show identification if unknown. Parents may not pick a child up from the classroom. It is our school policy to not release children to anyone other than the parent, guardian, or other previously authorized persons designated on the emergency contacts or via a note written on the particular day of release.
HOME AND HOSPITAL
Students who must be absent from school for more than three weeks because of a medical problem are eligible to receive home instruction. Contact the office to obtain a Home and Hospital application. Parents fill out Part I, the request for home instruction, and physician/family medical advisor completes Part II. There is usually no waiting period before instruction may start, and a home teacher will be assigned when the application has been received and approved.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD (SARB) PROCEDURES
Regular Attendance is vital for successful learning. According to state law, students are considered truant when they have 3 or more days of unexcused absences and/or 3 tardies of 30 minutes or more without a valid excuse. A letter will be sent to parents of students who are considered truant. In addition, a copy of the letter will be filed in the student's CUM. Students who are habitually truant may be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).