Dear Parents/Guardians,
As the Coordinator of Student Information for the Buellton Union School District, part of my job is to keep track of students’ absences and tardies, and to follow up with students who are persistently tardy and/or absent. Students with continued unexcused absences will eventually be referred to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB).
Under California law, school is mandatory for children ages 6 to 18. You are therefore required to inform the school each day a child is absent. Illness, visits to the doctor or dentist, religious holidays, court appearances, and the death of a close family member, are considered excused absences. Any other absence is considered unexcused. Please see the Buellton Union School District Board Policy on Absences and Excuses.
California Education Code 48260 states the following:
Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.
I would like to leave you with a few “attendance facts”:
- California schools receive funding from the state by ADA (Average Daily Attendance)
- The amount the school receives is about $50/student/day
- When a child is absent all day (excused or unexcused), the school is not receiving funding for that child.
- During the 2018-2019 school year, the Buellton Union School District counted:
- 3445 excused absences
- 1360 unexcused absences
- a total of $240,250 in lost revenue,
- $68,000 or 28.3% loss from unexcused absences
- If a student is going to be absent for 5 schooldays or more, Independent Study should be requested. This should be done at least 1 week in advance so the teachers can prepare the work the student will take home. It is very important that the Independent Study work is completed and gets turned in the first day the student is back in school. The student will be considered “present” for the number of days’ work he/she completes. Please contact the school for more information and be aware that teachers’ and principal’s approval hinges on your student’s ability to complete the work independently.
These are all important facts, but our primary concern is to ensure success for your child and our schools. Please remember that the more days your child spends in school, the better your child’s performance will be, and the less classes your child misses, the more academically and socially confident he or she will feel.
Sincerely,
VéroniqueMacdonald
Coordinator of Student Information
Buellton Union School District
[email protected]