Woodland Unified School District - Student Attendance and Welfare

Student Attendance and Welfare

Student Attendance and Welfare is implemented in the Woodland Joint Unified School District to coordinate services that help students and families succeed in school and in life. Student Attendance and Welfare will provide services to students and families who are:

Truant
Expelled
Dis-enrolled
Dropped Out
On probation
Homeless
Foster Youth

Student Attendance and Welfare will help in the following ways:

Assist students in enrolling in appropriate educational programs
Monitor school attendance
Assist students in fulfilling School Attendance Review Board (SARB) expulsion and probation contracts.

Attendance

We know that when students are in class every day, they thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. That is why we want to work alongside you. Our team is committed to offering guidance, open communication, and community resources to help your child maintain excellent attendance. By working together to meet state education requirements, we can ensure your student never misses out on the incredible experiences available at our school!

California's compulsory education law requires everyone between the ages of 6 and 18 to attend school. The one exception is for 16 and 17-year-olds who have graduated high school or passed the California High School Proficiency Examinations (CHSPE) and have parental permission to leave school.

Every student should strive for 95% attendance or higher. This equates to missing no more than 10 days.

Students are deemed chronically absent when they have missed 18 or more school days (10% or more) throughout one school year. When students are chronically absent, they are more likely to fall behind academically and socially. If you are concerned about your child's attendance, please reach out to your child's school as early as possible.

Attendance Information and Resources

How to Report an Absence

All absences must be reported within 72 hours of the student returning to school. To report an absence, please ensure you include the date(s) absent and the reason (s) that apply.

There are three ways to report absences:

Notify the school in person.
Notify the school by phone, email, or ParentSquare message. Contact your school here.
Send a note with your child when they return to school.

Excused Absences

Excused absences are excused under California Ed Code. Those include:

Illness or mental health
Medical Services (doctor, dentist, etc.)
Funeral services
Election duties/Jury duty (student's jury duty, not the parents)
Religious holidays or ceremonies (must be pre-approved)

Current Board Policy allows for 14 days of Parent-Excused Medical reasons.

See CA EdCode here regarding Attendance and Excused Absences.

Unexcused Absences and Truancy

Unexcused absences are any absences that do not fall under an excused absence per CA EdCode. Some examples of unexcused absences are, but are not limited to:

Going out of town
Car breaking down
School refusal
Family Emergencies (unless approved and excused by Admin)
Parents or siblings being ill (unless mandated quarantine by county Health Department)
Athletic events not connected to school athletics

Truancy refers specifically to unexcused absences. If a student is absent without an excusable reason 3 or more times, they are considered truant. At this time, the truancy process will be triggered, and families will receive their first truancy letter.

Truancy Letter Process

Number of Absences	Action
3 Unexcused/Truant Absences*	Truancy Letter 1
6 Unexcused/Truant Absences*	Truancy Letter 2 SART Meeting with the school site team. This meeting is to help discuss barriers and supports in attending school regularly.
12 Unexcused/Truant Absences*	Truancy Letter 3 Possible SARB Meeting with the District Attendance Supervisor. This meeting is held with a support team of services to discuss positive ways to improve your child's attendance.
Additional Unexcused/Truant Absences Past 12*	An additional truancy letter will be sent out with every additional 12 unexcused/truant absences. Possible DA Mediation. This meeting is held with the District Attorney's office in another attempt to work together to help improve attendance.

*3 All-Day Absences equals the same as:

18 Period Absences in Middle School
21 Period Absences in Comprehensive High School
15 Period Absences at Cache Creek High School

Chronic Absenteeism

Chronic Absenteeism

When students are chronically absent:

They have missed 18 or more school days for any reason throughout the school year. Absences for any reason are added to the Chronic Absenteeism rate. This includes excused, unexcused, and medically excused absences, incomplete independent studies, and suspensions.
They are more likely not to be reading on grade level in 3rd grade.
They are more likely to fall behind academically.
They are more likely to struggle with peer relationships.

How Can I Keep My Child From Becoming Chronically Absent?

Schedule medical appointments before and/or after school. If it is unavoidable, have your child attend school before and/or after their scheduled appointment.
Schedule vacations during school breaks.
If you know you will be gone (even if just for 1 day), you can request a short-term independent study. This allows students to complete work while they are out of school without incurring additional absences. Learn more about Independent Study Agreements here.
If your child is struggling to come to school, contact your school as soon as possible to help coordinate with their school teams to help provide support to your child and family.

Resources

26-27 School Calendar
Attendance Works
Color Your School Year (English / Spanish)
California EdCode - Attendance and Truancy
The Importance of Attendance

About the School Attendance Review Board (SARB)

Woodland Joint Unified School District operates a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) process designed to support children and families in maintaining positive school attendance patterns which allow students the maximum opportunity to learn.

The SARB is composed of school, law enforcement, social service agencies, parents and community members, who meet regularly to diagnose and resolve persistent student attendance problems.

The goal of SARB is to help students stay in school. They work with truant students and their parents and/or guardians to identify attendance problems early and to solve school attendance problems through the use of available school and community resources, including: