Attendance Improvement

San Juan Unified's goal is to support and encourage each student to come to school every day and on time. Our team works directly with students and their families to increase daily attendance and encourage student engagement. School attendance is one of the most reliable predictors of student success.

Interventions may include; Documented Student and Parent Communication, Habitual Truancy Conferences (HTC), Partners Against Chronic Truancy (PACT) meetings, Home Visits, Student Attendance Review Board Hearings (SARB) and Truancy Court.

Attendance Matters

Student success starts with good attendance and is the responsibility of the student, family, and school. The U.S. Department of Education reports that for every missed day of school, it takes a student two days to catch up since he/she must make up missed learning and catch up with new learning at the same time.

Parents can help their children be successful by encouraging regular attendance. Regular attendance has been linked to higher achievement, stronger bonds to the school and community, lower rates of delinquent and high-risk behavior, and increased participation in higher education.

Parents have a vital role in ensuring and promoting regular attendance at school. Regular attendance is necessary for success in school, and as a parent, you are the key person who can make a difference. The earlier a student sets a pattern of going to school, the better they will do throughout their school career. Students who attend regularly are the least likely to drop out of school.

We ask that families support efforts to increase attendance by making a conscientious effort to:

Ensure students arrive at school and class on time.
Plan family vacations during non-school days and summer break.
Try to schedule doctor appointments for your child after school hours.
Bring your child to school before and after appointments that are scheduled during the school day.
Only allow your child to stay home when he/she has a contagious illness or is too sick to attend school.

School Attendance Review Board (SARB)

In 1974, the Legislature enacted California Education Code (EC) Sections 48320 to enhance the enforcement of compulsory education laws and to divert students with school attendance or behavior problems from the juvenile justice system. Although the goal of a SARB is to keep students in school and provide them with meaningful educational experience, SARB boards do have the power, when necessary, to refer students and their parents or guardians to court. SARBs attempt to understand why students are experiencing attendance and/or behavior problems and seek to resolve those issues when existing school and community resources have been exhausted.

Contact Information

Attendance Improvement Program
(916) 979-8604

Attendance FAQs

Why does it matter if my child misses school or comes in late?

Absences impact everyone. Students who miss class often can quickly fall behind and struggle to catch up.

But students who have good attendance can be affected as well. When a frequently absent student returns to class, for example, the teacher often must stop to give special attention to that child.

There’s a financial impact, too. Because school funding is largely tied to daily attendance, San Juan Unified on average loses about $78,000 each day in funding due to student absences. In these times of budget cuts, that can make a difference when it comes to paying for classroom materials and programs.

Additionally, students who are chronically absent from school are more likely to misbehave and participate in criminal activity.

What is the difference between an excused and an unexcused absence?

Under state law, an absence is considered “excused” only for these reasons:

student illness
death in the student’s immediate family (not more than 5 days per incident)
for purpose of having medical, dental, vision or chiropractic services rendered
observation of a religious holiday or ceremony
court appearance (documentation must be provided and have the student’s name on it)

All other reasons for absences are considered inexcusable by California state law. If you have a special circumstance and are unsure whether it will be excused, please talk to your school’s principal or vice principal for clarification.

My student is sick. Shouldn’t my child stay home?

The health and safety of our students is the highest priority. If your child has a fever, is vomiting or has other severe symptoms, your child is too sick to come to school. Parents are allowed to excuse up to 10 days without verification of illness from a medical professional.

If you bring your child to see a doctor, make sure to obtain a doctor’s note stating the date seen, any additional days they recommend your child stay home and the diagnosis. Upon your child’s return to school, provide the documentation to the front office (not to teachers), and these absences will be recorded as verified and will not take away from the 10 parent-verified days.

That said, if your child is feeling ill in the morning but is doing better as the day progresses, please consider bringing them to school for a partial day. That’s always better than missing a full day.

What about a family emergency? If the car breaks down, or there’s a relative in the hospital, is that an excused absence?

Transportation is an issue for my family. What can I do?

Students can ride SacRT for free. The RydeFreeRT program offers fare-free transit for youth and students in grades TK through 12. With RydeFreeRT, youth can ride the entire SacRT transit network, including SacRT buses, light rail, and SmaRT Ride on-demand microtransit service for free!. RydeFreeRT is available all day, any day of the week, all year during regular SacRT service hours. Student passes can be requested at any San Juan Unified school. Learn more at https://sacrt.com/rydefreert.

Some San Juan Unified schools have established safe-walking clubs and similar initiatives to assist children and families who walk to and from school. To find out whether your school has started such an initiative, or to find out how you can start your own, talk to your school principal.

The school says my child has an unexcused absence when it should have been excused. What can I do?

We prefer that parents call their school as soon as they know their child will be absent. Parents have 5 school days to clear absences before it is recorded as a truancy.

There are several reasons why your child’s absence may be recorded as unexcused when you thought it would be excused:

Did you give a note to your child to hand in? If so, it’s possible your student lost it or forgot about it; this happens all the time. It’s best for you to call the office yourself.
Did you tell a teacher or staff member? Information can fall through the cracks. To ensure proper documentation of an absence, you must report it to your school’s front office.
If you reported an absence - but gave a reason that is unexcused by state law - our hands are tied, and we must record the absence as unexcused.

I’d like to keep track of my child’s attendance myself. How do I do that?

What is chronic absenteeism?

Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student who misses 10 percent or more of a school year for any reason.

But you don’t have to reach that level to raise red flags. Students absent without a valid excuse for three full or partial days in one school year, or who are tardy more than 30 minutes without a valid excuse on three occasions in a school year, are considered truants under state law.

What is considered "PERFECT" attendance?

A student has "perfect" attendance when their attendance for the year does not include ANY absences or tardies (excused or unexcused). The student's attendance will contain only the following codes: . = present, K = field trip, H = single period positive (verified present)

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section