ATTENDANCE POLICIES
- If you are absent, it is your responsibility to have your parent or guardian telephone the Attendance Office at 408-366-7715 to clear the absence.
- 18 year-old students may clear their own absences only if they have an “Adult Status” letter on file with the attendance clerk.
- This is a closed campus! Students may not leave without obtaining an Off-Campus Pass from the attendance desk. Students may come and go freely during lunch period only.
The 10% Attendance Policy
When a student has had absences in excess of 10 percent of the total number of days enrolled for the current school year due to illness and verified by approved methods, any further absences for illness must be verified by a physician, school nurse, or other school personnel. Failure to provide verification by the physician will result in these absences being recorded as unexcused.
Clearing Absences – Full Day Absence
Within 24 hours of the day that you are absent from school, your parent or guardian must call the attendance line and leave a message, spelling your name and giving the reason for your absence. The attendance desk has a 24-hour message machine to clear absences; calls may be made at any time. To clear absences, call 408-366-7715, and provide: student name, student ID #, date, reason for the absence, and who is calling.
If the absence has not been cleared on the day of the absence, the automatic attendance calling machine will contact your home as a reminder of the absence and the need to clear it. If a call is not received within 48 hours of the absence, the absence could be classified as a cut and disciplinary action will result. When you return to school after a full day cleared absence, you should report directly to class.
Clearing a Partial Day Absence
When arriving on campus after school has started:
- Your parent or guardian should report your late arrival at school.
- You are to report directly to the Office and see the attendance clerk.
When leaving campus after school has started:
- Permission to leave school before the close of the day’s program for any reason (medical/dental, home, court, etc.) requires parental consent either by phone the day before, or the morning of the absence.
- You must obtain an off-campus pass from the attendance clerk before leaving campus. Please pick up pass prior going to class.
- In case of emergency or illness, you must first report to the attendance clerk.
- If you leave campus without providing prior notice to the attendance clerk, you will receive an unexcused absence. You must obtain an off-campus pass when leaving school.
Prior Approval for Trips / School Activities
If you plan to miss class because of medical procedures, college visitations, or other activities, you must give prior notice to the teacher, and arrange for making up the class work. Parent approval is required before you can attend extended activities. Parents must also notify the attendance clerk.
Tardy Policy
Lynbrook High School's vision is to create a dynamic environment of respect and achievement where all can learn deeply, apply their knowledge, and contribute purposefully. Therefore, student punctuality is crucial to maintaining a conducive learning environment and minimizing disruptions in the classroom. Students are marked tardy if they arrive after the second bell, and tardiness beyond 30 minutes is classified as truant.
1. Excused tardiness is when a student is late for reasons beyond their control, such as unforeseen circumstances, and require a parent to call or email the attendance line.
2. Unexcused tardiness is defined as tardiness that could have been avoided (e.g., waking up late, missing the bus, schedule confusion, etc.).
- Students arriving late within the first 30 minutes with an unexcused reason should go directly to class.
- Students who are coming late for an excused reason (medical appointment or illness) report immediately to the office to get a pass to class.
- Students arriving 30 minutes after the tardy bell must check in with the Attendance Office in the GSS to obtain a "admit to class" pass before heading to their classroom.
Consequences
- Tardies will be addressed on a class-by-class basis by the teacher. After the teacher has taken some action with the student, and the student has not improved, the teacher may refer the student to the student's Assistant Principal (AP) and the AP will assign a consequence.
- The students' Alpha AP will also monitor their students who have excessive tardies across all classes (10+ tardies) and need not wait for a teacher-generated referral. The Alpha AP, along with the Student Conduct Specialist, will work together to intervene by doing one or more of the following: student conference, development of an attendance plan, detention, parent conference, placement on the "cannot attend" list, and Saturday School.
Cutting Class or Falsifying an Absence
Cutting class or falsifying an absence will result in disciplinary action.
Marked Absent by Mistake
If your student was marked absent by mistake, it is your student’s responsibility to talk with that teacher to get it cleared. Please have the student email their teacher directly, and copy our attendance clerk on the email, at Jena_Rajabally@fuhsd.org. Absences will not be cleared without the teacher’s verification that your student was in fact present.
Student Attendance Review Board (SARB)
Excessive absences whether excused by parents, or truancy, will result in the student and their parents or guardians attending a District Attorney Mediation meeting. This involves a meeting with the District Attorney of Santa Clara County, with the possibility of legal consequences. If you are brought before DA Mediation, you will have ample written notice.