ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Good attendance is crucial to a student's academic success and in forming life-long habits and self-discipline. The Simi Valley Unified School District attendance policy is very specific and recognizes the joint responsibility of the school district and the parents/guardians in working together to ensure good attendance patterns for all students.
Absence from school shall be excused for health reasons, family emergencies, and justifiable personal reasons as permitted by law, board policy, and administration regulations.
Students, with the written consent of their parents/guardians, may be excused from school in order to participate in religious exercises or to receive moral or religious instruction.
No student shall have his/her grades reduced or lose academic credit for any excused absence or absences, if missed assignments and tests that can reasonably be provided are satisfactorily completed within a reasonable period of time.
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Notwithstanding Section 48200, a student shall be excused from school when the absence is:
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Due to his/her illness.
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Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.
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For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic services rendered.
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For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of his/her immediate family, so long as the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in California and not more than three days if the service is conducted outside California.
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For the purpose of jury duty in the manner provided for by law.
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Due to the illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child of whom the student is the custodial parent.
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For justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his/her religion, attendance at religious retreats, attendance at an employment conference, or attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization when the student’s absence is requested in writing by the parent/guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board.
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For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Section 12302 of the Elections Code.
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For the purpose of spending time with a member of the student’s immediate family, who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in EC 49701, and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from, deployment to a combat zone or combat support position. Absences granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be granted for a period of time to be determined at the discretion of the Superintendent of the school district.
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To attend his/her naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen. (EC 48205).
A student absent from school under this section shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can be reasonably provided and, upon satisfactory completion within a reasonable period of time, shall be given full credit therefore. The teacher of the class from which a student is absent shall determine which tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the student missed during the absence.
For purposes of this section, attendance at religious retreats shall not exceed four hours per semester.
Absences pursuant to this section are deemed to be absences in computing average daily attendance and shall not generate state apportionment payments.
“Immediate family,” as used in this section, has the same meaning as that set forth in EC 45194, except that references therein to “employee” shall be deemed to be references to “pupil” or “student.”
If any minor is a habitual truant, or is irregular in school attendance, the student may be referred to an attendance supervisor, or a school attendance review board (SARB) or the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. (EC 48267) For students declared a ward of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 602, school staff is required to report to the student’s probation officer school attendance and/or behavior violations within ten days of the reported violation. (EC 48267) (EC 46014, 48205)
