Attendance
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Regular, punctual attendance directly correlates to academic performance. Good attendance is a shared responsibility between the student and parent. We expect parents to send their children to school each day on time and to call in any absence within 3 school days. We expect students to arrive at each class on time, to stay at school, and to discuss attendance issues with their parents.
Attendance Office FAQ’s
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How does the office communicate attendance issues to parents?
- Automated phone call system—calls home each night that a student has been marked absent if the absence hasn’t already been cleared by the parent/guardian.
- Automated phone call system—calls home each night that a student has been marked tardy to class.
- Parents will be mailed copies of Saturday Work/Study Program assignments and attendance contracts.
- Student attendance information can be viewed on Q ParentConnect.
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What absences can be excused?
- California Education Code section 48205 and CVUSD board policies state that absences for the following reasons may be excused:
- Personal Illness,
- Quarantine,
- Medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic services,
- Funeral services of an immediate family member,
- Jury duty,
- Illness during school hours of a child to whom the student is a custodial parent,
- Service as a member of a precinct board,
- Participation in religious exercises or to receive a moral and religious instruction,
- For the purpose of attending a or
- Upon advance written request
- Appearance in court
- Attendance at funeral service
- Observation of a religious holiday or ceremony
- Attendance at a religious retreat not to exceed four hours per semester
- Attendance at an employment conference.
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Can absences for other reasons be excused?
- Absence for college visits may be excused ONLY when a parent/guardian/caretaker submits a written request one week PRIOR to the anticipated absence and receives approval from the Assistant Principal of Attendance and Student Welfare.
- Approval will be based on the student’s attendance record and academic progress.
- If this request is not received prior to the trip, the absences will become truancies.
- Absence for college visits may be excused ONLY when a parent/guardian/caretaker submits a written request one week PRIOR to the anticipated absence and receives approval from the Assistant Principal of Attendance and Student Welfare.
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Which absences are “unexcused?”
- Absences for any reason not listed above are “unexcused.” For example, family trips, non-NPHS athletic competitions, family emergencies, and transportation difficulties, are not reasons for which absences may be excused. When a parent/guardian/caretaker notifies the attendance office of the reason for absence before the absence occurs, the absence will be marked “unexcused.”
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How do “unexcused” absences differ from “truancies?”
When a parent/guardian/caretaker does not call the attendance office within three school days, the absence becomes a truancy. Absences cannot be excused after three days.
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What are the eligibility requirements for an Off-Campus Pass (OCP)?
- The privilege to leave campus at lunch is reserved for juniors and seniors who meet the following requirements for the previous semester:
- 2.0 GPA or higher,
- No more than 12-period truancies and/or unexcused tardies, and
- No suspensions.
- Thus, the OCP eligibility list for the Spring 2023 semester will be determined by the student’s attendance, grades, and discipline from the Fall, 2022, semester.
- The privilege to leave campus at lunch is reserved for juniors and seniors who meet the following requirements for the previous semester:
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What are the consequences for truancies or tardies?
- A Saturday Work/Study (SWS) will be assigned at 5 tardies to a single class, and students will be placed on a contract.
- Students will be placed on a contract at 5 truancies to a single class.
- Students may be drop/failed from a class after 7 truancies or tardies.
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How can parents help?
- Be proactive: check your child’s attendance regularly through the Q ParentConnect website. Contact the NPHS office if you need a PIN or password.
- When you receive an automated phone call regarding an absence, call the NPHS attendance line at (805) 498-3676 immediately to clear an absence. The line accepts messages 24 hours a day including on weekends.
- If you believe a teacher has mistakenly marked your child absent, please contact that teacher directly.
- If your student has a fever or feels ill, keep the student home. Help your student differentiate between not feeling like coming to school and being too sick to attend school.
Additional Information
Leaving Early
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- Parents must call the Attendance Office with the reason and time of departure.
- It is the student’s responsibility to pick up a pass in the Attendance Office before school, during passing periods, during break time, or during lunch so that he/she is ready to leave on time. The office staff CANNOT, for any reason, call a student out of class unless AUTHORIZED BY AN ADMINISTRATOR.
- No student may leave the campus BEFORE checking out through the office. Students who do so may be assigned a Saturday Work-Study and will be given a truancy for each class missed. The truancy will not be cleared – even if a parent/guardian/caretaker calls after the fact.
Lunch Departures
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- Students WITHOUT an off-campus pass leaving during lunch and returning may leave only when met in the office by a parent/guardian or another adult as designated by the parent/guardian. If circumstances preclude physically coming into the office, please be sure to relay this information at the time of the call as it will require Administrative approval.
- After lunch absences by students WITH an off-campus pass cannot be cleared after 3 school days.
- Parents should call the Attendance Office as soon as possible if a student becomes ill while off-campus and will not be returning.
- Students who choose to leave campus for lunch assume FULL RESPONSIBILITY for RETURNING PROMPTLY. Depending upon the time of late arrival, an unexcused tardy or absence will be assigned.
