Attendance

Excellent school attendance is important for your child. It is a major indicator of how successful a student will be in school. Being at school, on time and everyday, also helps students prepare for the world of work when they become adults.

In order to keep better track of attendance, the Culver City Unified School District has computerized its attendance system. Parents will receive school district letters as soon as their children have been absent three times without an excuse for the absences. A parent must email the school attendance secretary, the teacher and the school nurse if the absence is due to an illness on the day of the absence or send in a written excuse on the day the child returns to school. As a helpful reminder, each evening automated phone messages are sent to the parents of children who were absent that day but did not call to notify the school office.

Attendance/Tardies Policy

Excused Absences – EC 46014, 48205

Pupils, with the written consent of their parents or guardians, may be excused from school in order to participate in religious exercises or to receive moral or religious instruction.

No pupil shall have his or her grade 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.

Notwithstanding Section 48200, a pupil shall be excused from school when the absence is:

(1) Due to the pupil’s illness.

(2) Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.

(3) For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic services rendered.

(4) For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of the pupil’s 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.

(5) For the purpose of jury duty in the manner provided for by law.

(6) Due to the illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child of whom the pupil is the custodial parent, including absences to care for a sick child for which the school shall not require a note from a doctor.

(7) 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 the pupil’s 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 pupil’s absence is requested in writing by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board.

(8) For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Section 12302 of the Elections Code.

(9) For the purpose of spending time with a member of the pupil’s immediate family who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in Section 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.

(10) For the purpose of attending the pupil’s naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen.

(11) Authorized at the discretion of a school administrator, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 48260.

(b) A pupil 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 therefor. The teacher of the class from which a pupil is absent shall determine which tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the pupil missed during the absence.

(d) Absences pursuant to this section are deemed to be absences in computing average daily attendance and shall not generate state apportionment payments.

(e) “Immediate family,” as used in this section, means the parent or guardian, brother or sister, grandparent, or any other relative living in the household of the pupil.

Most importantly, absences must be cleared within five (5) of days, after a child returns to school. Absences that are not cleared within five days will automatically be recorded as truancies and can not be cleared at a later date.