Parents in Los Banos Unified School District know that any time their child is absent from school, they receive a recorded phone message notification from the school. Parents can then work with the school staff if they have any questions or reply to the school to notify them of the reason for the absence if they had not done that already. As of September 2015, Los Banos USD has implemented a new and updated system for contacting parents through the mail. This notifies parents of excessive or unexcused absences, informs parents about specific attendance issues and hopefully assists parents to avoid student truancies. The key purpose of this program and system is to increase communication and work with our parents and students on the importance of regular attendance which gives schools the best opportunity to provide a quality education for all children.
This system and process includes contacting parents by mail at the third day of unexcused absence (or is tardy 30 minutes or more.) The first letter informs parents of unexcused absences as defined by California Education Code Attendance and Truancy Laws. If absences continue a second letter is sent home at six days of unexcused absences. Parents will be asked to conference with the school administrator to review absences, work on solutions to address attendance issues, and discuss what may occur if unexcused or excessive absences continue. A third letter, at 10 days of continued unexcused absences, may require parents to appear before the District's School Attendance Review Board and with continued absences, appear before a Truancy Court Judge.
It is imperative that parents contact the school to excuse student absences as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary and frequent absences and late arrivals.
We understand that there are certainly illnesses and circumstances where a student may have to miss school but our schools and school district wants and expects to have our students attend every day possible and makes a commitment to work with our parents to accomplish this goal.
Thank you for your efforts to have your child attend school on time and regularly each and every day. We know a majority of our student s and families have good attendance habits and we appreciate the efforts that parents make in order to have this happen. Please work with your schools when you see and are informed of attendance issues so we do our best for all students and especially your own child.
What is SARB:
A school attendance review boards (SARBs) that are composed of school and community members who meet regularly to diagnose and resolve persistent student attendance or behavior problems.
History of SARB:
In 1974, the Legislature enacted California Education Code (EC) Section 48320 to enhance the enforcement of compulsory education laws and to divert students with school attendance or behavior problems from the juvenile justice system until all available resources have been exhausted. EC Section 48321 provides several organizational structures for School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs) at the local and county level to create a safety net for students with persistent attendance or behavior problems. Although the goal of SARBs is to keep students in school and provide them with a meaningful educational experience, SARBs do have the power, when necessary, to refer students and their parents or guardians to court.
County or Local SARBs
School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs), composed of representatives from various youth-serving agencies, help truant or recalcitrant students and their parents or guardians solve school attendance and behavior problems through the use of available school and community resources. County SARBs are convened by the county superintendent at the beginning of each school year. In any county where no county SARB exists, a school district governing board may elect to establish a local SARB, which shall operate in the same manner and have the same authority as a county SARB. In many counties, the county SARB provides consultant services to the local SARBs.
For More information pertaining SARB please visit California Department of Education, by clicking the link below:
Education Code Supporting SARB
EC 48260 a- Absent without valid excuse three full days, or tardy or absent for any 30 minute period during the school day on three occasions in one year.
EC 60901 c1- Chronic Absenteeism, this includes all absences including excused absences. It is missing 10% or more of the total number of school days.
EC 48200 Compulsory Education Law, 6-18 years old
EC 48400- Continuation School attendance 16 to under 18 years of age minimum of (4) 60 minutes periods per week.
EC 49430- County Superintendent may request a petition in juvenile court for habitual truancy, or irregular attendance, or if disorderly.
EC 48321- Local SARB Board authority
Subsequent Report of Truancy: Any pupil who has once been reported as a truant and who is again absent from school without a valid excuse one or more days, or tardy on one or more days, shall again be reported as truant to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent of the district.
EC 48262 – Habitual Truant: Any pupil deemed a habitual truant and has been reported as a truant three or more times per school year, provided that no pupil shall be deemed a habitual truant unless an appropriate district officer or employee has made a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with a parent or guardian of the pupil and the pupil himself, after the filing of either of the reports required by Education Code Section 48260 or 48261
EC 48263 – If any minor in any district of a county is a habitual truant, or is irregular in attendance at school, as defined in this article, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school, the pupil may be referred to a School Attendance Review Board or to probation from services.
Others;
EC 48291- Parents fail to respond to SARB directives or services provided: the SARB shall direct the school district to file a criminal complaint.
EC 48293- Penalties against parents (juvenile court has jurisdiction)
Penal Code: PC. 270.1- California Law states that any child between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school every day unless they are ill, going to court or attending a funeral. This a misdemeanor with a $2000 fine or 1 year in jail.
AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE (ADA)
ADA is the number of days of school a student attends divided by the total number of days of instruction. A student attending every day would equal one ADA. ADA is typically calculated at the school-, rather than student-level.
TRUANCY
In California, a student is truant if he/she is absent or tardy by more than 30 minutes without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in a school year.
HABITUAL TRUANCY
A student is habitually truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for 5 days during a school year.
CHRONIC TRUANCY
A student is chronically truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for at least 10% of the school year.
CHRONIC ABSENCE
In California, chronic absence is defined as being absent for any reason (excused or unexcused) for at least 10% of the school year. Thus, in a 175- or 180-day school year, a student who misses 18 days of school or more is chronically absent.
EXCUSED ABSENCE
Valid excuses may include illness, doctor or dentist appointments, personal reasons justified by a parent or guardian and other reasons within the discretion of school administrators.
