Attendance Office
madronaattend@tusd.org
310-533-4562 Ext 8791
Absence Policy:
Parents/guardians of children aged 6-18 are obligated to send their children to school unless otherwise provided by law. (Education Code 48200). Parent/guardians must notify the attendance office regarding absences.
Absence Reasons and PowerSchool Codes:
If the reason listed on the attendance absence excuse note/email is personal business, DMV appointments, family event, family matters, emergency, family vacation/reunion, family travel/trip, travel-wedding, overslept, etc.; or, if not reason is given, the absence is considered "U" Unexcused per Ed Code and will be coded in PowerSchool as such a "U". An Unexcused absence is a verified absence. The codes are for record-keeping purposes. Truancy "T" is marked after 48 hours of the absence "A", without a note or email provided to the school office.
Excused Absences: (Education Code 48205): ONLY these reasons will be marked "E" for excused. NOTE: Any verified absence (excused or unexcused) is counted as a missed day of school.
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A student’s illness (not parent’s or another family member).
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Medical, dental or eye appointments.
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Attending the funeral of an immediate family member: one (1) day in California; three (3) days out of California. Immediate family member means student’s mother/father, brother/sister, child, grandmother/grandfather, or spouse, spouse’s mother/father, spouse’s child, spouse’s brother/sister, or any relative living the immediate household of the student.
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Court appearance when the student has subpoena with his/her name on it.
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Religious holiday/retreat/ceremony (max of four (4) hours per semester) with prior written request from parent and approval from school.
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Schedule medical and dental appointments after school or on school holidays.
All notes and emails are accepted ONLY from the parent/guardian listed in PowerSchool AND must include the following information:
Student’s full name and Grade
Date(s) of absence and/or periods missed
Reason for absence
Parent/Legal Guardian printed name, signature and relationship to student
Extended Travel (5 days or more) and Independent Study Contracts
Students who are away from school for travel or family circumstances for 5 or more days are required to submit a written letter from the parent in advance. Study Contracts may be issued and require at least a week to process. Students must bring in completed work upon their return.
Excusing Students from School:
Students may not leave school during school hours without an off-campus pass. A student should take his/her parent signed request to the attendance office before school to obtain a pass. If a student returns to school after leaving campus, he/she needs to check in at the office upon return. Passes to go home for lunch will not be approved.
Absence and Tardy Policy:
Students who miss class habitually or are tardy to class habitually have a difficult time reaping the benefits of the educational program. Students are expected to be on time for classes. Students are considered “on-time” when they are in their seats when the tardy bell rings. When a student is late to school, they must report to the office with a note signed by the parent/guardian. A tardy may be excused ONLY for illness and medical appointment. All other reasons for being tardy are unexcused.
To help ensure that our students are on time and in attendance daily, Madrona will take the following steps:
Absences from school accumulated for the entire year:
@ each absence PowerSchool emails home
@ 3 unexcused absences, school contacts home
@10 absences a SARB letter is sent home.
@15 absences a SARB 2 letter and meeting with administration.
Tardy to class. Will restart at the beginning of each quarter
@ 5 total tardies = after school detention. Parent contact
@ 10 total tardies = after school detention and parent meeting
@ 2 in a single class = S in citizenship
@ 3 in a single class = N in citizenship. Parent contact
@ 4 or more in a single class = U in citizenship