Student Support
The hallmark of the American democracy is an informed, imaginative, and skilled electorate. That’s why public education is so important, and every child’s right. Students in the Pasadena Unified School District are expected to attend school on time, every day, and actively participate in all classes.
Attendance
- Consequences of skipping school
- Tardiness Consequences
- California Truant Laws
- Excused absences
- Unexcused absences
- Expulsion Forms
- Discipline Forms
Consequences of skipping school
Skipping school has serious consequences for students and schools.
- Academic. Students quickly fall behind when they miss school. Students still have to learn, on their own, what their classmates learned in their absence.
- Negative Patterns. Numerous studies say that the more a child skips school, the more likely it is that she or he will drop out of school without graduating. In today’s economy, a high school dropout’s earning potential is negligible.
- Safety. School is the safest place to be, especially for middle and high school students. On school campuses, students are engaged in classroom, laboratory or athletic activities staffed by educators and other trained adults.
- Financial. When a student is absent, it deprives the entire school of dollars from the State. In California, schools receive funding for the days that students are in school. Teachers, counselors, clerks, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers must still be paid, even when a student decides to “take a day off” from school.
PUSD attendance counselors work with students who demonstrate chronic absence from school, or chronic tardiness. While legal penalties can apply to the parents of chronically truant students, PUSD’s approach is to first help and support the family. To find out more, visit the webpage of the Office of Child Welfare, Attendance & Safety.
Consequences of tardiness to school or class
In school, as in life, punctuality counts. Getting children to school with plenty of time sets a good habit that will help them succeed for the rest of their lives. Students who arrive “only” five or 10 minutes late to school disrupt the classroom and may be subject to embarrassment in front of their peers.
According to State law, any student who is tardy for any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, is truant. In the Pasadena Unified School District, ten or more excused tardies in a school year are considered excessive, and can trigger a referral to the School Attendance Review Board, a district and juvenile court entity.
California Truant Laws
Attending school is required for children between the ages of 5 – 18. Per California Education Code §48260, any student who is absent from school without a valid excuse for three full days is truant. Any student who is tardy or absent for any 30-minute period during the school day, without a valid excuse on three occasions during one school year, is classified as truant.
Students who become truant are subject to penalties that can include suspension of driving privileges, arrest, and even prosecution. Penalties against parents apply when any parent or guardian fails to compel the student to attend school. The penalties against parents in Education Code §48293 become progressively severe. Parents can be prosecuted, fined, and even imprisoned.
PUSD attendance counselors work with students who demonstrate chronic absence from school, or chronic tardiness. While legal penalties can apply to the parents of chronically truant students, PUSD’s approach is to first help and support the family. To find out more, visit the webpage of the Office of Child Welfare, Attendance & Safety.
PUSD offers alternative educational programs and support for students and families who are having trouble getting to school. Truants may be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB), a district and juvenile court entity that can mandate intensive guidance to meet the special needs of students with school attendance problems. These interventions are designed to divert students with serious attendance and behavioral problems from the juvenile justice system and to reduce the number of students who drop out of school.
Excused absences
According to State law, only absences for illness, doctor/dentist appointments, bereavement, religious observance, and court hearings are considered excused. Parents are responsible for informing (with a note or by telephone) the school attendance clerk of the reason for the student’s absence within five days of the student’s return to school. If the school is not provided with an acceptable reason for the student’s absence (per Education Code §48205) within five days of the student’s return to school, the absence will be recorded as unexcused in the student’s attendance record.
Excessive Excused Absences or Tardies
Ten or more excused absences or tardies of less than 30 minutes in a single school year are considered excessive in the Pasadena Unified School District and will trigger intervention by school personnel. Students who are truant or have 10 or more excused absences or tardies in a single school year will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB), a district and juvenile court entity that can order hearings, mediation and referrals.
PUSD attendance counselors can work with students who demonstrate chronic absence from school, or chronic tardiness. While legal penalties can apply to the parents of chronically truant students, PUSD’s approach is to first help and support the family. To find out more, visit the webpage of the Office of Child Welfare, Attendance & Safety.
Unexcused absences
An unexcused absence from school is any absence without a valid excuse. Some examples of unexcused absences:
- Wasn’t prepared for quiz/test/exam
- Babysitting
- Staying home to watch TV, play video games
- Shopping
- Visiting theme parks
- Cleaning house
- Going out of town to visit relatives or friends
- Extending school winter/spring vacations
Expulsion Forms
- A - Expulsion Packet Checklist
- B - EXPULSION FACT SHEET
- C - Administrator Chronological Incident Report Guide
- D - DISCIPLINARY RULES AND POLICIES
- E - SWORN DECLARATION OF ANONYMOUS WITNESS FORM
- F - STATEMENT OF VICTIM(S), WITNESS(ES), AND/OR PARTICIPANT(S)
- G - INTERVENTION AND REMEDIATION REPORT
- H - 504 STUDENT STUDY TEAM REPORT
- I - Expulsion recommend. to Superintendent memo
- J - Parent Notification of Expulsion recommendation
- K - Specific Reasons for Suspension and Expulsion
- L - Student Success Team [PDF]
Discipline Forms
- School Attendance Review Board Checklist
- Behavior Letter #1
- Behavior Letter #1 (Español)
- Behavior Letter #2 (Notification of Referral to the School Attendance Review Board)
- Behavior Letter #2 (Notificación de Remisión a la Junta de Revisión de Asistencia)
- First Notification of Truancy or Excessive Absences
- Second Notification of Truancy or Excessive Absences
- Third Notification of Continued Truancy
- Fourth Notification of Truancy - Habitual Truant
- Primera Carta de Notificación de Ausentismo Excesivo
- Segunda Carta de Notificación de Ausentismo Excesivo
- Tercera Carta de Notificación de Ausentismo Continuo
- Cuarta Carta de Notificación de Ausentista Habitual
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