Attendance

Every school day matters for your student's success and achievement. Our goal is to ensure your student has access to the best possible education. Regular attendance is essential to student learning, so we would like to share some important information. Students are required by law to attend school from the ages of 6-18. Studies have shown that students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate from high school and move on to post secondary education.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES/TRUANCIES

Students who have multiple unexcused absences or truancies are notified via mail and are required to attend school site intervention meetings. If interventions put in place at the school site level are not successful, the school will refer the student to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) . Prior to being referred to the SARB panel the following steps will be followed:

3 or more unexcused absences	Student is classified as a truant Letter 1 mailed home to parent/guardian Student may be assigned Saturday School (high school)
6 or more absences	Student is classified as a repeat truant Letter 2 mailed home to parent/guardian Student/Parent is invited to a Parent/District Attorney Meeting
8 or more unexcused absences	Student is classified as a habitual truant School Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting is scheduled with administrator, parent, student and other school site staff
10 or more unexcused absences	Student/Parent eligible to be referred to School Attendance Review Board (SARB) Hearing at the Tustin Police Station.
Continued unexcused absences	Tustin Unified School District may refer the case to Orange County District Attorney's Office or to the Orange County Probation Department.

INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS

Independent Study contracts may be requested when a student will be missing 5 or more consecutive days of school. A parent/guardian must meet with an Administrator/designee five school days prior to schedule leave of absence to request an Independent Study Contract. The administrator determines whether or not an independent study contract will be approved. A pre-arranged excused absence shall be a minimum of 3 consecutive school days and cannot exceed 3 weeks. When circumstances justify a longer time, the Administrator may extend the maximum length of an assignment to a period not to exceed 8 weeks, under a written request with justification.

How it works:
Parent to notify school office and teacher. Office staff will prepare the independent study contract which must be signed by the parent, student and teacher PRIOR to the student’s absences. Classroom teacher will provide the work to the student on the last day the student is present at school. The student must return to school with the completed work and give to the teacher on the first day of his/her return. No partially completed work will be accepted for credit.
Independent Study Contracts will not be authorized the first two (2) weeks nor the last two (2) weeks of school.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD (SARB)

The School Attendance Review Board is an intervention designed to help students and their families identify the issues related to their students' poor attendance. The SARB Panel consists of members from Tustin Unified School District such as, CWA Social Worker, Special Education Administrator, District Nurse, School Site Administrator and/or Counselor, in addition a representative from OC Probation, local law enforcement agency, and OC Social Services Agency are also on the panel. Our comprehensive panel is looking to identify solutions that are reasonable and effective for the student and family. In the event the parent and/or student is not cooperative, the panel may file with OC Probation or the OC District Attorney's Office.

SARB Hearings are held at the Tustin Unified School District in the Board Room, 300 South C Street, Tustin, CA 92780.

DISTRICT ATTORNEY TRUANCY MEETINGS

Any further questions regarding the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) Process please contact: