NHS Attendance Office

NHS Attendance Office Hours: (Monday - Friday)  8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Email:  nhsattend@tusd.org

Phone: (310) 533-4412, option 4, option 2

The NHS Attendance Office is doing its part to cut costs and to help our environment by keeping ALL DIGITAL attendance records.  We would appreciate your help by communicating with us by email to clear absences and to request off-campus passes.

Attendance Shortcuts for Parents/Guardians:

 

COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

What are the school attendance requirements in California?

  • Every person between the ages of six (6) years and eighteen (18) years of age is required to attend school. (Education Code 48200)
  • Students are expected to attend school regularly and on time.
  • Parents and guardians are required to send their children to school.
  • When students do not attend punctually or are absent the entire school day, the reason must be identified and recorded as either Excused or Unexcused. Excused absences are compliant with compulsory attendance law according to the State of California Education Code; Unexcused absences are noncompliant for all other reasons and subject to truancy law after three incidents.

 

HOW TO VERIFY AN ABSENCE

Parents/Legal Guardians/Students:  We encourage you to check “PowerSchool” on a regular basis for attendance. Parents/Legal Guardians - please do not call in your student’s absence as NO absences will be cleared by phone or by a phone message. Absences must  be verified by a student’s parent/legal guardian within 48 hours by email or the absence will be marked as “TRUANT.” EMAIL must come from the parent/legal guardian’s email address listed in PowerSchool.  If you can not remember the email address on record in PowerSchool (and have multiple email addresses), please “CC” all of your other email addresses.

Email:  nhsattend@tusd.org

  • Subject Line:  Absence for [Full Legal Name of Student] on [Date]
  • Include in your email the following information: 
    • Student’s Full Legal Name
    • Grade and Student ID
    • Date of Absence(s) and Period(s) Missed
    • Reason for Absence(s)
    • Parent/Legal Guardian Name

If your student missed classes/school due to a doctor/dental/medical appointment, please attach a photo or scan of the official doctor/dental/medical note to your email.

When a student has been absent for 5 school days or longer (due to illness, injury, surgery, etc), a doctor’s note is required, and must state the date that the student is able to return to school. 

 

FAILURE TO NOTIFY THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE WITHIN 48 HOURS OF AN ABSENCE

1. The absence will be marked “TRUANT.”

2. Parent/Guardian must contact our NHS Assistant Principal, Dr. Christina Rozanski at Rozanski.Christina@tusd.org to receive permission for the attendance office to accept the late verification

3. If approved by Dr. Rozanski, the attendance office will be notified and the truant will be removed and coded appropriately.

 

POWERSCHOOL ATTENDANCE CODES

We post student attendance according to the State of California Ed Code.  If you notify the Attendance Office (by email) within 48 hours of an absence and see a “U” posted, the absence is considered “cleared and verified” - but- DOES NOT meet the Education Code. 

  • E = Verified  absences, reason aligns with Educational Code
  • U = Verified absence, reason DOES NOT meet Educational Code
  • T = Truant, missing from class period, unverified by school staff or parent (after 48 hours)
  • L = Tardy to class, less than 30 minutes late
  • A = Absence, still needs to be verified by parent/guardian within 48 hours

 

What is considered a valid, legal absence?

  • Absences are EXCUSED for the following reasons, when verified:
  • A student’s illness (not parent’s or another family member).
  • Quarantine under the direction of a county, city health officer or district nurse.
  • Medical, dental, physical therapy, optometric, mental health or chiropractic appointments.
  • 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 in the immediate household of the student (Education Code 48205).
  • Court appearance when the student has a subpoena with his/her name on it.
  •  Religious holiday/retreat/ceremony (max of four (4) hours per semester) with prior written request from parent and approval from school.
  • Verified absence due to illness or quarantine is allowed. Verification may be by one of the following: school/public health nurse, attendance supervisor, physician, teacher, or any other qualified employee of the school district. (Education Code 46011, CCR Title 5, Sec. 421)
  • To attend his/her naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen.

 

HOW TO REQUEST AN OFF-CAMPUS PASS (OCP)

For a student to leave campus during the school day, he/she needs to obtain an Off-Campus Pass (OCP).

Two methods to request an Off-Campus Pass (OCP):

EMAIL:  nhsattend@tusd.org (from parent/legal guardian’s email address on record in PowerSchool - fastest and preferred method)

IN-PERSON:  ID (official) Required (slower method - more processing time)

1. EMAIL:  A parent/legal guardian email (from parent/legal guardian’s email address on record in PowerSchool) to nhsattend@tusd.org at least 1 hour prior to the time the student needs to leave campus (preferred and fastest method). All OCP requests for the day are required to be emailed to the attendance office prior to 11:00 am.

  • Send your Email to:  nhsattend@tusd.org 
  • Subject Line:  OCP for [Full Legal Name of Student]
  • Include in your email the following information
  • Student’s Full Legal Name
  • Grade and Student ID
  • Date(s) of Early Release and Period(s) Missed
  • Time of Early Release (specific time required)
  • Reason for Early Release
  • Parent/Legal Guardian Name

 

2.  Parent/Guardian In-Person Off-Campus Request:

If a parent/legal guardian comes to the school in person to make an off-campus pass request and did not email in advance: Parent/Legal guardian will be security screened at the front security desk.  Official ID required. After the security screening, parent/legal guardian will be sent to the attendance office. Parent/Legal Guardian will be asked to fill out an Off-Campus Request form and submit their official identification (ex. Driver’s license, passport ID, etc in order to verify identity information in PowerSchool). Once the ID is verified, a call slip will be sent to get the student out of class (no phone calls to the classroom). If parent/legal guardian’s identity can not be verified, an administrator will be called to the attendance office. This is a longer process for an off-campus pass request so we encourage the parent/legal guardian to make an off-campus pass request by email.

3. It is the responsibility of the student to pick up their Off-Campus Pass (OCP) from the attendance office.  Students may pick up their pass before school, at break, at lunch or during a passing period.  Students MAY NOT pick up their pass during class time.  Off-Campus passes will not be sent to the student’s class.

4. For medical/dental appointments, you may email the attendance office days in advance to request your student’s off-campus pass.

5. If enough advance time is given to process the Off-Campus Pass (OCP) request, the student and parent will be notified by email once the OCP has been processed and ready for pick-up.

6. All classes missed due to receiving an Off-Campus Pass from school will be coded as a “U” (cleared verified absence that will not go truant).  If the student received an OCP for doctor/dental/medical appointment, the attendance code will be changed to a “D” (official doctor/dental/medical documentation) once the official note has been emailed/submitted to the attendance office.

NO OFF-CAMPUS-PASSES WILL BE ISSUED ON FINAL EXAM DAYS

 

IF A STUDENT IS ILL AT SCHOOL

Students: Please DO NOT text or call your parents asking them to contact the school.  Please speak to your teacher about getting a pass to go to the Health Office. Our school Nurse or Health Services Assistant, will call your parent/legal guardian and arrange for the Off-Campus Pass (OCP).

Parents:  Please DO NOT email to request an off-campus pass from the attendance office if your student is ill at school.  District mandates that for the health and safety of everyone on campus, your student needs to leave from our health office.

IF A STUDENT HAS A 6th PERIOD SPORT

6th period SPORT IS A CLASS. When a student uses the “athletic” sticker on their student ID to leave campus, they are expected to attend the athletic class.  If they will not be attending that class, an Off-Campus Pass (OCP) in the manner described above must be received BEFORE 11:00am (and prior to 6th period).

An athlete/student must get an Off-Campus Pass (OCP) even if they have made prior arrangements with their Coach.

Leaving campus and then not attending their sport, will result in a “WALK-OFF-TRUANCY” and the student will be assigned a Saturday School Detention. This TRUANT (see below ) cannot be “cleared” after-the-fact, even if the parent/legal guardian sends an email or provides a note.

Parents/Legal Guardians: Please be aware that any student leaving school without  prior approval and an “OFF-CAMPUS-PASS” (including student-athletes leaving 6th period for appointments) will be issued a  “TRUANT.” This TRUANT cannot be cleared.  NO EXCEPTIONS  Students may be cited by the Torrance Police for truancy. Students leaving campus without permission will be issued a “Truant” absence for the class (or classes)  and assigned a Saturday School Detention.

Regular attendance and being on time are requirements for a successful high school experience and future success after high school. California State Law requires daily school attendance to the age of eighteen unless the California High School Proficiency Test has been passed, or until graduation. We encourage continued parent/legal guardian support to promote good school attendance and student achievement. Regular school attendance is the most valuable gift you can give your student.

What are the consequences for parents and students when a student does not attend school?

  • Parents who fail to send their children to school can be criminally prosecuted under Penal Codes 272 and 270.1 and Education Codes 48291/48293 and 48453/48454. The penalties can range from a fine of $50 to $2,500 plus a penalty assessment and can be sentenced to up to a year in jail. Parents can be ordered by a judge to personally deliver their child to school.
  • Students who fail to attend school can be criminally prosecuted in Juvenile Court under Education Code section 48265.5. Students can be given a $100 fine, community service up to 40 hours, and can be forced to attend an approved truancy education program. If the student has gone through SARB or truancy mediation, their license can be suspended or revoked pursuant to Vehicle Code section 13202.7.

What are the best ways for parents to avoid a violation of the compulsory education laws?

  • When your child is ill, either bring the child to school to have the illness verified by school personnel/school nurse or take the child to a health care provider for verification and obtain written documentation of the illness. Keep a copy of the documentation for yourself.
  • Discuss ongoing medical conditions with school personnel and, if necessary, sign a release of information to the school from the doctor.
  • Make sure that your child is on time and in school every day.
  • Schedule medical and dental appointments after school or on school holidays.
  • Seek assistance from a school counselor if you are having problems getting your child to school. They can direct you to resources that will help you.

REGULAR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IS THE MOST VALUABLE GIFT YOU CAN GIVE YOUR CHILDREN