Attendance
Our goal at Anaverde Hills is to help our students have a successful educational experience. Regular attendance is essential to students’ success in school. Most subjects are taught in sequence, requiring the understanding of each concept in the order of its presentation. Frequent absences create gaps in students’ learning and skill development, which are sometimes difficult to remediate with make-up work. We understand that absences will occur due to illness. We do ask that you help eliminate unnecessary absences.
All student absences must be cleared within 4 calendar days of the absence. Failure to clear the absence will result in the absence being considered unexcused. Excessive absences may result in a referral to our Student Attendance Review Board. Please be aware that California Education Code 48260a states that “any student who is absent from school without 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.”
Regular attendance, and arriving at school on time, is essential to a student's success in school. Most subjects are taught in sequence, requiring the understanding of each concept in the order of its presentation. Persistent absenteeism or tardiness creates a genuine hardship for a student and is regarded as a very serious problem.
The State of California does require verification of absences. The following list of circumstances are the only recognized excuses for school absences: 1) personal illness, 2) medical appointment, 3) death in the immediate family and 4) court appearance for the student. If a note is not presented within 3 days, the student is considered truant for the absence. To clear an absence you can send a note with your child to the office or classroom, call 661-974-8524, email ah.attendance@westside.k12.ca.us, or use the iAttend app.
The parent is required to give a minimum of 5 days advance notice to the school in order for the student to be excused for any other type of absence and be placed on the Independent Study Program. Independent Study can only be for a minimum of 5 or more days and not for medical purposes unless deemed necessary by appropriate personnel. When work assigned to the student is complete and the necessary forms are filled out, the absence is excused. Teachers will have assignments ready for the student/parent to pick up prior to the scheduled days the parent requests for a student to be on Independent Study.
If your student needs to leave early for a scheduled appointment, be sure to send a note to the teacher in the morning. Students leaving early for any reason other than a doctor’s appointment will be given a “Reverse Tardy”. Students with doctor appointments need to bring a doctor’s note to school upon his/her return.
Students with continual chronic absences (18 or more school days for any reason), which may include unverified/unexcused absences and/or numerous excused or ill absences, will receive letters addressing the issue. If absences do not improve a SART (Student Attendance Review Team)and/or SARB contract can be put in place. This may require a meeting at Anaverde Hills School and/or the District office. Attendance contracts may also be written for students that have numerous excused or unexcused tardies.