NPHS Attendance Office Procedures

It is highly recommended that parents utilize the district “ParentConnect” website to monitor their student’s attendance on a regular basis. Check your student's attendance regularly through the Q ParentConnect website. Contact the NPHS office if you need a PIN or password.

The Attendance Office hours are 7:15 am to 4:15 pm. The Attendance Office phone number is:

805-499-3645. An answering machine is available to receive calls any time the office is closed.

You may leave a message in Spanish by calling 805-499-3645, press option # 4. “Para dejar

mensaje en Espanol llame al 805-499-3645 oprima el numero 4.”

If you feel a teacher has mistakenly marked your student absent, please contact that teacher directly by calling the Main Office at (805) 498-3676.

All absences must be reported by phone or in person. Your call may not necessarily constitute

an excused absence or tardy. Please refer to Classification below for clarification.

1. Parent/guardian must call the attendance office within 3 days (72 hours) of the student’s

absence. Absences not reported after 3 days will be recorded as “truant”.

2. Please clearly state the student’s first and last name, dates and/or periods of absence,

specific reason for absence. (i.e. orthodontist appointment, your name, your phone number, and

your relationship to the student.)

3. An attendance call will be sent each evening between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. informing the

parent/guardian of any un-cleared absence. If a parent/guardian receives this call, they should follow-up with the attendance office to clear any absences.

If a student is absent, arrives late, or leaves early for any of the following reasons, it will be

considered an excused absence without needing prior permission for the following reasons:

(1) The student is ill, including absences for mental or behavioral health reasons.

(2) The student is under quarantine as directed by a county or city health officer.

(3) The student needs to receive medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic services.

(4) The student is attending the funeral of an immediate family member. If the funeral takes

place in California, the absence should not exceed one day. If the funeral is outside California,

the absence should not exceed three days

• “Immediate family” is defined in the California Education Code Section 48205 as, “parents, guardians, siblings, grandparents, or other relatives living in the student's household.”

(5) The student is required to serve on a jury, as allowed by law.

(6) The student needs to take care of their own child who is ill or has a medical appointment

during school hours. A doctor's note is not required for such absences.

Upon a written request submitted in advance and with the approval of the Assistant Principal of

Student Welfare and Attendance, the following reasons may also be considered excused:

(7) The student has justifiable personal reasons, as long as they haven't missed more than 10%

of the school days. The absence for these reasons should not exceed four hours per semester.

These reasons include, but are not limited to:

● an appearance in court

● attendance at a funeral service

● observance of a holiday or ceremony of the pupil’s religion

● attendance at a religious retreat, attendance at an employment conference

● attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by

a nonprofit organization.

Please note that "family emergencies" are not automatically considered excused unless they fall within the parameters set by the California Education Code.

(8) The student needs to serve as a member of a precinct board for an election, as outlined in

Section 12302 of the Elections Code.

(9) The student wants to spend time with an immediate family member who is an active duty

member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty, is on leave from, or has recently

returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support position. The length of these

absences will be determined at the discretion of the school district superintendent.

• “Immediate family” is defined in the California Education Code Section 48205 as, “parents, guardians, siblings, grandparents, or other relatives living in the student's household.”

(10) The student needs to attend their naturalization ceremony to become a United States

citizen.

(11) The student wants to participate in a cultural ceremony or event.

“Cultural” is defined in the California Education Code Section 48205 as “relating to the

habits, practices, beliefs, and traditions of a certain group of people.”

(12) Middle school or high school students can be excused for engaging in a civic or political

event, provided they inform the school in advance. This excuse is limited to one full school day

per year.

• A "civic or political event" can include voting, working at polling stations, participating in strikes, making public comments, listening to candidate speeches, attending political or civic forums, and town hall meetings.

• Additional excused absences may be allowed by a school administrator, as described in subdivision (c) of Section 48260.60.

(13) Other reasons that are deemed valid excuses based on the student's circumstances, as

determined by a school administrator.

If a student is absent from school, they must be given the opportunity to complete any missed

assignments and tests within a reasonable timeframe. The teacher will decide which

assignments and tests are equivalent to those missed during the absence, although they may

not be identical. However, this policy does not apply to absences classified as "truant."

Absences that are reported to the attendance office and do not fall under any of the excusable

reasons outlined by the California State Education Code will be designated as “Contacted-Unexcused”.

If a student is absent from school, they must be given the opportunity to complete any missed assignments and tests within a reasonable timeframe. The teacher will decide which assignments and tests are equivalent to those missed during the absence, although they may not be identical. However, this policy does not apply to absences classified as "truant."

Any absence that is not reported to the attendance office will be marked as “Truant” after 72

hours. A student may also be marked “Truant” if it is confirmed that the student left campus

without permission from a parent or guardian and/or without following dismissal procedures in

the attendance office. The absence will be marked as a truancy whether or not the parent

approved of the absence.

If a parent/guardian was unable to report the absence within the 72 hours, they must contact the

Assistant Principal of Student Attendance. Please note it is not guaranteed that the Assistant

Principal of Student Attendance can modify a “Truant” absence to an excused or unexcused

absence.

When the absence is designated as “Truant”, students may not receive the opportunity to

complete missing assignments or assessments and the course grade may be significantly

impacted as a result.

What happens if a student has a period truancy?

• 3 or more truancies: Administrator will assign Saturday Work Study/Place on contract/Notify Parents

• 7 more: Administrator will notify Parents/ Possible drop/fail from class
• On the 8th truancy, students may be dropped from the class and the grade “F” will be assigned.

An unauthorized departure occurs when a student leaves class without following dismissal procedures and did not obtain permission to leave. This includes students who leave class, but do not leave campus.

What happens if a student has an unauthorized departure?

• Automatic Saturday Work Study

1. Parent/guardian must call the attendance office within 3 days (72 hours) of the student’s late arrival.
2. Please clearly state the student’s first and last name, time of arrival, specific reason for late arrival. (i.e. naturalization ceremony, your name, your phone number, and your relationship to the student.)
3. Students must check in through the attendance office.

1. Parent/guardian must call the attendance office before the student leaves school with the reason and time of departure.
2. Students must pick up a pass in the Attendance Office before leaving campus. Students may pick up the pass before school, during passing periods, at break time, or lunch so that the student is ready to leave on time. The office staff cannot call a student out of class unless authorized by an administrator.
3. Students who leave campus without picking up the pass may be marked truant and may be subject to disciplinary action including a Saturday Work/Study.

Students WITHOUT an off campus pass leaving at lunch, and returning, may leave only when

met in the office by a parent/guardian or other adult as designated by the parent/guardian.

If circumstances preclude physically coming into the office, please be sure to relay this information

at the time of the call as it will require administrative approval.

After lunch absences by students WITH an off campus pass must be cleared within 3 school

days. Parents should call the Attendance Office as soon as possible if a student becomes ill while

off campus and will not be returning.

Students who choose to leave campus for lunch assume FULL RESPONSIBILITY for

RETURNING PROMPTLY. An unexcused tardy or absence may be assigned and the student’s

off campus lunch pass may be suspended or revoked.

Students are marked tardy when they are not physically in the classroom when the bell finishes ringing.

What happens if a student is marked tardy?

• 3rd and 4th Tardy: Detention and Parent Contact
• 5th Tardy: Saturday Work Study
• 6th Tardy and beyond: Additional Saturday Work Study/Attendance Contract/potential loss of privileges

Tardies are tracked each semester by the attendance office. Students and parents/guardians will receive automated notices for disciplinary action depending on the total number of tardies.

Students with an absence rate of 10% or more may be referred to the School Attendance

Review Board (SARB).

Students who miss more than 10 consecutive school days will need to meet with the Assistant

Principal of Student Attendance to discuss the possibility of alternative options such as Home

and Hospital instruction or transfer to a more appropriate educational setting.

Per District policy, if a student misses 14 or more classes of school due to illness or doctor

appointments, parents may be required to provide a doctor’s note for each additional absence

from school. Absences that are reported as Illness or Doctor Appointment will be recorded as "Contacted-Unexcused" unless there is an accompanying doctor's note for that date. Excessive Unexcused or Truant Absences may be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

Off Campus Passes (OCP) are a privilege provided to juniors and seniors. All students must

remain on campus during lunch, unless they have a valid OCP. To be eligible, a student must

have earned at least a 2.0 grade point average, have 90% or better attendance, No Unauthorized Departures, and no significant behavioral incidents.

The student’s parent/guardian must physically come into the main office to sign a consent form

in order to issue an OCP. Forms are not distributed outside of the main office and cannot be

submitted electronically.

Students who choose to leave campus for lunch assume FULL RESPONSIBILITY for

RETURNING PROMPTLY. Depending upon the times of late arrival, an unexcused tardy or

absence will be assigned. After lunch absences cannot be cleared after 3 school days. Students

who return to campus after the gates have closed must report to the main office to be checked

back in and will lose their OCP for 5 school lunch periods effective immediately, regardless of

the circumstance for their late arrival.

Once issued, the pass may be revoked at any time per administrator or parent/guardian discretion. Parents/Guardians who wish to revoke their student's OCP should contact the Assistant Principal of Attendance.

Any student who attempts to leave campus without a valid OCP will receive a Saturday Work

Study. Any student benefiting from a forged or “loaned” OCP will receive a Saturday Work

Study. All students involved in the above mentioned violations will lose their Off-Campus Pass

for the remainder of the school year.

Several items require the attendance officer’s certification of satisfactory attendance. Students

will be eligible for Outdoor School and participation in ASB activities if they are present and on

time 90% or more of the school year. The same criteria will apply to students applying

for work permits or for applications to work in the entertainment industry. Seniors failing any

classes are not eligible for Outdoor School.

If a student is unable to participate in physical education for 6 weeks or longer in a semester

due to a documented injury or medical condition, he/she may be withdrawn from the class and

be required to make up the class sometime in the future.

Any questions or concerns regarding the attendance policies at Newbury Park High

School or California Education Codes should be directed to:

Linda Eckelkamp

Assistant Principal of Attendance and Student Welfare

Email: Leckelkamp@conejousd.org

Phone: 805-498-3676 ext. 1017