Attendance and Policies

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 in the Attendance Office.
• Lynbrook is a closed campus. Students may not leave without obtaining an Off-Campus Pass from the Attendance Office. Students may come and go freely during lunch period.  

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 Office and leave a message, spelling your name and giving the reason for your absence. The Attendance Office 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: Name, Student ID #, date and reason for the absence, who is calling and their relationship to the student.

If the absence has not been cleared on the day of the absence, the Attendance Office’s automatic 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, it will be marked as an unknown, unexcused absence. 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

Good attendance at school is essential to high student achievement. Students must be seated and prepared to begin work when the tardy bell rings. Plan on having students arrive at school 15 minutes before the day begins. 

Tardies are a concern because students who are late to class: miss out on important learning opportunities, have difficulty settling into class, cause the teacher to delay the start of the lesson, and disrupt the learning environment for others. Tardiness also affects a student's grade.

We email tardy alerts home daily to encourage all our students to be on time for class. Additionally, when a student reaches a certain number of tardies to any one particular class, the action/consequences may be as follows:

• 5+ tardies, the teacher contacts the parent to help address the issue. 
• 10+ tardies, the student will meet with the Student Conduct Specialist and Assistant Principal, and detentions are assigned. Parents are notified. 
• If excessive tardies continue, the Assistant Principal will schedule a student-parent conference that will include the teacher, counselor, and administrator to discuss further actions (e.g., consequences, attendance contract, alternative schedule, counseling, etc.).

Cutting Class or Falsifying an Absence

No credit will be given for work due on that day, including tests, quizzes, or projects and you will not be allowed to make up work completed in class due to truancy. Further, excessive truancy 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 your student email their teacher directly, and copy our Attendance Clerk onto 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 you and your parents 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.

Remote Learning – Virtual Passes for Arriving Late to Class

For any partial day absences where your student will be arriving late to class, students must receive a ‘virtual’ pass from the Attendance Clerk via email. Please call ahead to the Attendance line (408-366-7715) with all necessary information (student first and last name, ID #, date, reason for late arrival, who is calling, and relationship to the student) and clearly state the time your child is expected to arrive to class. The Attendance Clerk will notify the teacher via email, and CC the student, with the expected arrival time. The student must be ‘in class’ by this time in order for it to be marked an excused tardy.

Virtual Passes for Students Leaving Class Early

For any partial day absences where your student will be leaving early from class, please call ahead to the Attendance line, leave all necessary information as stated above, and clearly state the time your student will need to be excused from class. The Attendance Clerk will then notify the teacher via email and CC the student, with the time they are to release the student from class.

DISTRICT PHILOSOPHY: “PURSUING EXCELLENCE WITH INTEGRITY”

The Fremont Union High School District is committed to advancing the pursuit of intellectual excellence and to maintaining the highest standards and expectations for academic integrity among all students. We believe in establishing a school climate that promotes ethical and responsible student conduct. In conjunction with that belief, we support the development of a school culture that furthers our academic mission and recognizes the hard work of students and faculty alike. We are convinced that neither pressure for grades, inadequate time for studying or completing an assignment, nor unrealistic parental expectations justify students acting dishonestly. As a professional learning community, we affirm that “learning for learning’s sake” is intrinsically valued, and we will not tolerate any infractions that create or result in an unfair academic advantage for one student, or a disadvantage for another. In short, any form or act of academic dishonesty will undermine our standards of excellence and violate the trust that bonds all members of the school community.

DEFINITION OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Academic dishonesty is using a person’s work, concepts, designs, data, ideas, research, or documentation, without giving proper credit to the source. It goes beyond plagiarism to also include lying, cheating, using or providing unauthorized materials in preparation for an exam/test/quiz, or using or providing unauthorized materials during an exam/test/quiz, and other acts, such as the theft or falsification of records and files.

FORMS OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY (EXAMPLES INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING):

 

TEACHER’S PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT

A teacher’s professional judgment guides the implementation of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy. The teacher is responsible for setting the academic expectations, explaining the consequences of the Policy, evaluating any evidence of student misconduct in light of the Policy, and determining whether the Policy has been violated. Students are to conduct themselves in a sensible manner and not give the teacher cause to consider their actions a violation of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy.

CONSEQUENCES FOR VIOLATIONS

The District considers violations of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy to be serious offenses and has therefore instituted the following consequences. The consequences apply on a school-wide and district-wide basis, i.e., a violation in one class follows a student to a different class within the school, and a violation at one school follows a student to a different school within the District. Additionally, violations of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy are cumulative for all the years a student is enrolled in the Fremont Union High School District.

First Offense

• The student will have a reduction in grade/credit (up to, and including, an “F” grade/“0” credit) on the assignment, exam, test, or quiz based upon the teacher’s grading system.
• The student’s semester grade may, at the teacher’s discretion, be lowered by one full letter grade.
• The teacher will confer with the student and contact the parent/guardian by phone or e-mail to review the academic dishonesty incident within two school days of becoming aware of the incident.
• The teacher will submit a written referral, with appropriate documentation, to an administrator who will meet with the student and the counselor, and document the incident/follow-up action in the student information system, Infinite Campus.
• Disciplinary actions may include, but are not limited to, a warning and a signed student/parental statement that acknowledges the violation/penalty, and indicates an understanding of further consequences for any subsequent offenses. Additionally, a student will be suspended from school, even on a first offense, in accordance with Education Code Section 48900, if a violation has occurred in the following areas:
  • Alteration or falsification, or attempted alteration/falsification, of records (e.g., transcripts)
  • Theft, or attempted theft, of records or testing materials (exams/tests/quizzes)
• The student may be barred from participation or having a leadership role in a club, scholarship group, student government, athletic team, or other extracurricular activity for a period of one year from date of the violation.

Second Offense

Consequences listed in the First Offense and ONE OR MORE of the following:

• A conference will be held with an administrator, parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, and student, and the incident/follow-up action will be documented in Infinite Campus.
• The student will be given an “F” for the six week grading period in which the incident occurred.
• The student will be dropped from the class with a grade of “F.”
• The student will be suspended from school.

Third/Continuing Offenses

Consequences listed in the First Offense and ONE OR MORE of the following:

• A conference will be held with an administrator, parent/guardian, teacher, counselor, and student, and the incident/follow-up action will be documented in Infinite Campus.
• The student will be dropped from the class with a grade of “F.”
• The student will be suspended from school.
• The student may be referred to the District’s Placement Advisory Committee for transfer to another school.

APPEALS PROCESS

Students wishing to contest decisions resulting from the administration of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy may submit their appeals in writing to the principal.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACADEMIC HONESTY

Administrators, teachers, parents and students must understand, accept, and share responsibilities if this policy is to be effective.

Student Responsibilities

The student will:

• Set aside sufficient time to study
• Participate actively in class and attend regularly
• Protect work—do not lend or borrow work
• Observe test time limits
• Not look at another’s test or allow his or her test to be seen
• Not talk during a test or about the test until all classes have had a chance to take it
• Not represent as his or her own the work of a parent, brother, sister, or anyone else
• Not change a test item in any way when the test is returned for review
• Not allow one member of a team to do the whole task
• Learn how to attribute work properly by citation, footnote, and bibliography
• Not enter teacher offices and other restricted areas without permission and/or being accompanied by a staff person

Parent Responsibilities

The parent will:

• Communicate to the student values of moral and ethical behavior
• Refrain from placing undue pressure for high grades at any cost
• Be aware of a student’s need for a quiet time and a place to study
• Support the student’s efforts, but not edit, type, or in any other way do the work
• Encourage wise use of time

Teacher Responsibilities

The teacher will:

• Review at the beginning of the school year the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy along with his/her course descriptions/syllabi/green sheets that spell out clearly the consequences for academic dishonesty in his/her classes; review the various examples and forms of academic dishonesty that should be avoided
• Be specific as to whether work is to be cooperative or individual, i.e., clarify the definition and expectation of “group work”
• Keep completed assignments and tests secure
• Inform students if unannounced tests will be used in the course
• Ensure that grades in mark documents and the grade book are private and safe; not allow teaching assistants (TA’s) to make or maintain grade entries

Administrator Responsibilities

The administrator will:

• Provide copies of the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy to all teachers for distribution to students
• Place the signed FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy Parent/Student Agreement Statement in cumulative folders
• Support teachers in administering discipline and upholding the FUHSD Academic Honesty Policy
• Record incident/follow-up action in Infinite Campus; inform teachers about outcome of the referral
• Review on a case-by-case basis the need to reference infractions on Secondary School Reports
• Facilitate conferences and counsel students in every case of academic dishonesty
• Communicate with teachers about students who have prior violations
• Collaborate with teachers in maintaining a secure digital and physical environment
• Review and resolve appeals

Review FUHSD's Annual Notifications on the District website.

Review Co-Curricular Code of Conduct

Please visit the FUHSD website for more information on the District's Complaint Process and Procedures. 

Homework contributes toward building self-discipline, responsibility, and lifelong learning habits. Lynbrook High School staff intends to assign relevant, challenging, and meaningful assignments that support student learning and reinforce classroom objectives.

Homework is defined as assigned tasks or studies to be completed by students primarily outside of class time.

We believe homework can serve a good purpose when it:

• Provides needed practice.
• Enriches and extends classroom learning experiences.
• Helps prepare students to be active participants in the classroom.
• Prepares students for classroom assessments
• Is reasonable, appropriate and relevant.

STUDENTS

• Take notes and track homework assignments.
• Ask clarifying questions before leaving class whenever possible.
• Follow directions.
• Organize their time and make the commitment necessary to complete homework assignments by the due date.
• Remove distractions to help with concentration and time management.
• Work independently (unless it is a group assignment) to ensure work accurately reflects their ability.
• Consider their course choices and remember that Advanced Placement and Honor classes often require significant “out of class” study and homework.
• Keep in mind that students who skip levels or take many challenging courses simultaneously may discover that it takes significantly more time than estimated to complete assignments. (Students with their family/guardians need to choose classes during course registration carefully.  Due to scheduling limitations, it may not be possible for students to move to a different class later.)
• Maintain regular communication with parents regarding coursework, homework, and progress.
• Respond to academic alerts and teacher messages promptly.
• Establish a consistent time for study and quiet in a well-lighted place to work.
• Use the online learning management system to monitor grades and assignments.
• Be aware of course requirements and teacher grading practices.

TEACHERS

• Assign relevant, challenging, and meaningful tasks that support classroom learning and provide students with feedback.
• Outline specific course homework expectations in the class Greensheet.
• Give clear instructions and make sure students understand the purpose of the work.
• Discuss support strategies with students and families if a pattern of late or incomplete homework develops.
• Design homework assignments that most students can complete in about 30 minutes per class in a class not designated as AP or Honors.  Homework assignments in AP and Honors classes require more time to complete, typically an hour per class.
• Communicate and coordinate, when possible, with other teachers within and across departments, regarding major projects.
• Avoid assigning Weekend* and holiday homework assignments; however, long-term assignments and projects might include weekends and holidays. Homework assignments over the December and April breaks are discouraged.
• Provide students with specialized equipment required to complete projects if the equipment is not available at home. If special equipment/technology is not available, students should have the opportunity to complete an alternate assignment.

*For the purpose of these guidelines, weekends are generally defined as Friday and Saturday nights. On extended weekends or vacation days, all nights except the last night before returning to school are defined as weekend nights.

Progress reports are viewable in the Infinite Campus portal. A notification is sent to alert students and parents/guardians that progress reports have been posted online. Parents/guardians and students must activate their Infinite Campus accounts to access progress reports. Semester report cards are mailed home. For more Information on report cards/progress reports, call 408-366-7705.

The student handbook is printed in the planner that is distributed to all students at the beginning of the school year.

Student Handbook 2022-2023

Review Technology Use Agreement