School Attendance

Every minute of a child’s time at school is important. Children who are absent for even one day, or who arrive later than their classmates, miss valuable instruction time and can easily fall behind in school. They also miss important socialization time and fun with their peers.

California State Law says that a child is absent if he/she is ill or if there is a death in the immediate family (1-3 day limit).  All other absences are unexcused. Any tardy over 30 minutes, except for medical reasons, is also unexcused. If your child is tardy or absent for three unexcused times, he/she will be considered truant. To read more about our policy on truancy, visit the BUSD Student Services Department webpage.

Reporting Absences

Please call Sylvia Mendez 510-644-6290 by 9.00 am every day that your child will not be in school. You may also send an email to Gerald Gonzalez. When your child is absent from school, please phone the school office as early as possible. When leaving a message regarding your child’s absence please provide the following information:

• Student's name

• Date(s) absent

• Grade / teacher

• Your name and your relation to child

• Daytime phone number

• Reason for absence

Excused absences include:

• Illness

• Medical and dental appointments

• Funeral of a family member (1 day if in California, up to 3 days if out of state)

• Religious holidays or celebrations

• Court appearance

If a student is absent for more than three days due to illness, the parent/guardian must provide the office with a doctor’s note upon their arrival back to campus.

Vacations, family trips, and family emergencies are UNEXCUSED.

Even if you call and let us know about family trips, they are considered unexcused and documented as such on the attendance record. After three unexcused absences, you will receive a district warning letter regarding potential truancy issues, per the California Education Code. If the absences continue, a meeting with the district attendance liaison and the principal will be scheduled to discuss strategies regarding how to improve attendance.

TARDIES

If your child arrives late to school, they must first sign in at the office and get a tardy slip before going to class. We need paper documentation of appointments or a dated note of explanation regarding the reason for the late arrival in case of audit.

Students who are 30 minutes late three times are truant according to the California Education Code; this may also trigger a district warning letter.

TEACHER ERRORS

If your child has an absence due to staff error, please contact the office so that we can verify with the teacher. If it still has not cleared, please contact the office at (510) 644-6290 or email Gerald Gonzalez.

Thank you!