Attendance Guidelines

STUDENT/PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND GUIDELINES REGARDING ATTENDANCE

PHILOSOPHY

The primary responsibility of the student is to be in class to maximize his/her opportunities for success. Excessive tardiness and absences have a direct correlation to poor student performance and are detrimental to the learning environment. Parents, students, teachers, and administrators all have a shared responsibility to ensure that quality education is the priority. Las Virgenes Unified School District attendance policy is directed toward achieving that goal.

Parents may log onto Aeries to review their student's daily attendance

Excused Absences from Compulsory Attendance

• Illness

• Medical, dental, optometry, chiropractic services(documentation from office required)

• Quarantine

• Funeral of immediate family, limited to 1 day in the state, 3 days out of state

• Court Appearance*

• Illness of custodial child*

• Religious holiday or ceremony*

• Religious retreats limited to 4 hours per semester*

• Employment conferences*

• Other reasons pursuant to board policy*

Education Code Section 48205 permits a pupil to be excused from school under certain circumstances.

*Prior approval of these absences must be requested if the absence is between 2 and 4 days.  Approval is required in writing on the appropriate form (click here) by parent/guardian and approved by an administrator.

*All absences MUST be cleared within 72 hours.*

Parent or guardian must complete the AHS Absence Reporting Form within 72 hours of the absence*.  Medical office visits require documentation, please submit the documentation to agouraattendance@lvusd.org, so that the absence can be marked as excused. If the absence is one that needs to be pre-approved please bring a copy of the signed/approved form.

*All absences must be cleared within 72 hours or the absence will be considered a truant absence(unexcused) and assignments may not be made up for credit.  Parents will be notified by phone and mail regarding unverified absences.

Students Arriving Late to School: All students must sign in (signature and arrival time) at the Attendance Office before going to class. A parent/guardian must complete the AHS Absence Reporting Form(must be completed within 72 hours in order to clear the absence. 

Early Leave Absences: Students leaving campus early for any reason (except health) throughout the normal school day must check out in advance through the Attendance Office. If your child will be leaving campus early, please call the early-leave attendance line at 818-889-1262. In your message please share the student name, birth date, time to be dismissed and reason for leaving early (i.e., doctor or dental appointment, religious reasons, etc.)  You must report an early leave by 9:30am, to ensure a nearly leave pass is generated for your student.  Once the early leave is approved, your child will need to pick up their early leave pass from the attendance office during Nutrition or Lunch.  Students must exit through the front of the school showing both the early leave pass and their student ID. Parents/guardians do not need to come on campus to sign the student out, if they have left a voicemail regarding the early-leave prior to 9:30am. 

**If you need to remove your student from school and you did not call the attendance line prior to 9:30am, you will need to physically sign out your student from the attendance office.  Unscheduled pick-up requests cannot be accommodated between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. - During that time, our staff is preparing for dismissal duties. Unscheduled pick-up will result in delays.**

Medical office visits and court appointments require documentation. Please submit the documentation to agouraattendance@lvusd.org, so that the absence can be marked as excused.

Students leaving campus for any reason must check out at the Attendance or Health Office. Students must sign in at the Attendance Office when they return to campus. Students leaving campus for any reason and not checking out through the Attendance or Health Office will be considered truant for that particular class period. A parent phone call or email will NOT clear a truant or unverified absence when a student has left campus without authorization. Students must be in school all day in order to practice or participate in a game, practice, rehearsal, performance or activity. Requests for exceptions must be made in advance through the Attendance Office.

To reach the Attendance Office directly, please call 818-889-1262 Ext. 51237.

Attendance Policy: Students may be recommended to a SARB(School Attendance Review Board) meeting if he/she has accumulated six (6) unexcused tardies or three (3) unexcused absences to a class. 

Tardiness: It is the responsibility of the student to be on time for all classes. Eight minutes are allowed for students to pass from one class to the next. Teachers will make the determination regarding excused or unexcused classroom tardies. Exceptions will be made by administration decision only. A student is truant if up to 30 minutes late to class.

Truancies: A student is truant when absent from school or a class without permission of the school or parent. Truant students will be assigned hours of discipline and may be cited by the Sheriff. No make-up work is permitted when a student is marked truant. Students may not leave school without being checked out in advance by the Attendance or Health Office.

Absences: All unexcused tardies and absences will be dealt with in the same manner as truancy. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school by completing the AHS Absence Reporting Form within 72 hours of an absence. Absent students are not permitted on campus to attend a class, take a test, or turn in paper/homework.  Students are not eligible to attend school events (athletic competitions, dances, after school activities) if absent the day of or day prior (if the event is on a non-school day).  Absent students who are seen on campus are considered truant.  

Absences, Excused: Illness normally will be excused with parent verification. Verification of an appointment by the doctor or dentist (i.e., doctor's stamp, receipt, etc., but NOT a doctor's signature) must be presented when the student returns to school or uploaded to the appropriate form. Full credit in the class will be given upon completion of make-up work or tests when the absence is considered excused. The time limit for make-up work is one day for every day absent plus one day after returning from an absence.

Absences, Excused (not ill): Absences due to death* in the family, religious observances*, court appearances*, illness of custodial child*, religious retreat*(4 hours per semester only), employment conference, or other reasons pursuant to board policy MUST have prior approval from an administrator. Notice must be received no later than two weeks before the absence begins. Full credit will be given upon completion of make-up work or tests. The time limit for make-up work is one day for every day absent plus one day after returning from an absence.

Independent Study Contract:  A student needs an Independent Student Contract when they will be missing 5 school days or more - not to exceed 10 school days.  An Independent Study Contract must be completed and approved two weeks prior to the absence.  If you have any questions or need an Independent Study Contract, please contact our Attendance Office.

Illness or Injury During School: A student who feels too ill to continue in the school day must obtain a pass from their teacher to report to the Health Office. Failure to report back to class or the Heath Office will be considered a truancy.

Make-up Procedure: Students shall "make-up" assignments and tests during the time allotted by the make-up procedure. Students will have only one opportunity to do so unless extreme circumstances, as verified by the Attendance Office, cause further absence on the "make-up" deadline date. Make-up work shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the work missed during the excused absence. Students must initiate the process.

Early Leave Passes (for appointments): Requests by a parent for a student to visit a doctor, dentist, or other appointments should be made prior to the appointment time.   The parent/guardian must leave a voicemail prior to 9:30am on the Early Leave Request phone line. When returning from the appointment, verification from the doctor/dentist (doctor's stamp or receipt but not a doctor's signature) will be required.

Off-Campus Passes For Lunch: 11th and 12th-grade students who are eligible with parental consent, are eligible to go off campus during lunch and support. 9th and 10th graders are to remain on campus at all times.

18-Year-Old Waiver: In order for 18-year-old students to report their absences, a parent waiver must be on file in the Attendance Office. Students must pick up the waiver in the Attendance Office. When the waiver is returned, Attendance Office personnel will call to verify that the parent/guardian has signed the waiver.