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BCE Attendance Information

BCE 24-Hour Recorded Attendance Line: 831-338-2887
 
Absence Policy: A parent or guardian must call the 24-hour recorded attendance line within 72 hours to report any student absence, or it will be recorded as unexcused. In your message, please be sure to leave the student's name, your name and relationship to the student, date of and reason for the absence. If a reason is not stated in your message, it will be considered parent verified/unexcused. Please note that notifying your child’s teacher does not excuse the absence.
 
Parents are reminded that attendance at school is very important. Activities and discussion that occur in class can never be adequately duplicated once a child misses school. The detailed SLVUSD attendance policy can be found at slvusd.org
 
What is an EXCUSED absence?

California Education Code recognizes the following reasons as excused absences: Student illness, recognition of specified religious holidays, beliefs and customs, medical/dental appointments where a note can be provided for verification, pre-arranged independent study programs, serious family circumstances such as the death of an immediate family member, school suspensions or required appearance in court/DARB/SARB hearing.
 
Illness: Please contact the health aide immediately to report communicable diseases, and to help prevent the spread of infection such as strep throat, norovirus, flu-like illnesses, pink eye, and lice. It is important that you report contagious exposures as soon as possible so we can sanitize, disinfect classrooms, or notify families of exposure, if necessary. Any health-related questions can be directed to the BCE health aide at 831-338-6413 ext. 149.
Whenever possible, please provide a doctor's note to support your child's absence due to illness. If your child misses more than 3 consecutive days, we recommend obtaining a note from your child's physician. If your child has excessive sick days during the school year, a note may be required. 
 
When to keep your child home:
Fever at or above 100.4°. (Your child must be fever-free without medication, such as Tylenol, for twenty-four hours before returning to school.)
If vomiting has occurred 2x within the last 24 hours.
If any new illness or symptom prevents your child from participating meaningfully in routine activities
If your child is sent home due to vomiting, they can return to school when vomiting has ended overnight, they can hold down liquids/food, and eat normally. 
 
What is an UNEXCUSED absence? 
Examples include:
Parent verified absences where no reason is provided.
Family vacation during school days in session.
Alarm clock did not go off.
Staying home to visit family or guests.
Personal vehicle problems or maintenance (unrelated to district transportation).
(This is not an exhaustive list)
 
Appointments and Late Arrival/Early Departure
We ask that you make medical, dental, and other appointments after school hours or on professional development days to avoid missing valuable class time.  If you must make an appointment on a school day, please schedule it after 11:30 am if possible. A note from the medical/dental office is requested to verify attendance, and the late arrival will be excused. If you need to pick up your child before school ends, please sign them out in the office and obtain a pass before entering the classroom. Please plan accordingly for weather and traffic. These are not excused reasons for being tardy.
 
We strive for all students to be in school and on time, 100% of the time. Habitually absent/late students and their parents may receive communication from the office and possibly be referred to the Attendance Review Board.
Being on time ensures a smooth beginning for learning for every student in the classroom. Students with three or more unexcused tardies/absences will receive truancy notification. Excessive unexcused attendance codes will result in a meeting between a parent/guardian and the principal. Further truancy issues will result in a referral to either the District Attendance Review Board or the School Attendance Review Board. 

Tardies: Arriving less than 30 minutes late
If your child arrives at school after the bell rings, they must check in at our office and receive a pass before entering the classroom. If your child doesn't obtain a tardy slip, the teacher will not be able to modify attendance after submission, and you will receive an automated attendance phone call from the district.
 
Late: Arriving more than 30 minutes late (Unexcused)
Any student tardy by more than 30 minutes unrelated to a medical appointment will receive an unexcused tardy. California law states that a child is considered truant if he/she has three or more unexcused absences in one school year. Your child must sign in at the office with a parent/guardian (or provide a note from parent/guardian or phone call).    

Independent Study Contracts
If your child is absent for 3 or more school days, he/she can keep up with classroom learning, and our school can receive funding by participating in an Independent Studies program.  Please schedule this with the classroom teacher at least 10 days in advance, then visit the office to complete the required paperwork. Work will not be provided unless the proper paperwork has been completed.
 
Other information:
 
If a student is absent from the school day, whether the absence is excused or unexcused, that student may not participate in any extracurricular school activity such as carnival. 
 
You may view your child's attendance by logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and signing in with your Access ID and Access Password. If you have forgotten your password, please email the BCE Registrar, Leanne Piccolo, at [email protected].