Attendance

One of the goals of SRFACS is to help students have a successful educational experience.  In order to do this, regular daily attendance is necessary.  It has been shown that frequent absences affect children’s skill development and may lead to behavioral problems and poor grades.  Non-attendance in school can also become a habit that is increasingly difficult to change as the child grows older. This habit may contribute to dropping out of school and other problems which can impact the child’s future.

 

Absences must be verified as required by state law. Please send a note to the teacher or call the school office to give the reasons for your child's absence.  We can only excuse absences due to illness, doctor appointments or bereavement of an immediate family member.  Other absences are considered "unexcused."

 

Excessive absences:  Normally, absences of over 10% (about 18 school days) are considered excessive.  We understand that some students may have medical conditions that require time out of school. 

 

Truancy:  On the 3rd unexcused absence, the office will send a truancy letter.  Letters will continue to be sent home for continued unexcused absences and by the 6^th unexcused absence, the student may be declared as “habitual truant.”   After the third truancy the family may be referred for site-based interventions and, subsequently, intervention by the district and possible legal action.

 

Excessive tardiness:  Students who are late disrupt the classroom and their own education.  Being tardy 10% or more of the time is considered unacceptable.  Teachers should work with parents to identify the problem and how the family will rectify the situation. In addition to teachers working with parents to correct this problem, the office staff will maintain a tardy log in order to better track students who are often late.

Per Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 6158, Short-term Independent Study Agreements will only be approved for excused absences.  Students with unexcused absences, due to family vacations and other non-emergency situations are not eligible for Short-term Independent Study Agreements.

 

Absences must be verified as required by state law... We can only excuse absences due to illness, doctor appointments or bereavement of an immediate family member.  Other absences are considered "unexcused."

 

An Independent Study agreement is required for absences in excess of 5 school days.  Please inform the school office and your child's teacher at least two weeks in advance to provide enough time for a packet to be prepared.  

 

While we appreciate it when parents secure independent study packets for their children, please understand the following facts:

 

1)  The teachers spend a lot of time preparing the packets, yet the district only gets money for these packets IF the work is completed and turned in on the date due.

 

2)  Independendent study helps but is not a replacement for the high-quality instruction that our teachers provide.  Students do not stay "caught up" by completing independent study packets because there is no way to approximate the classroom instruction, particularly in Math, through an independent study.

 

When your child is out, he/she misses valuable education and the district, due to the funding loss, has less money for all students.

 

Please schedule your vacations during school vacation periods.  Click here for the 2017-2018 draft calendar, subject to approval by the Santa Rosa City School Board.