Attendance Procedure
DAILY ATTENDANCE
Daily school attendance is extremely important. Please do not schedule family vacation times for when school is in session. The instruction a student misses with his/her classroom community can NEVER be made up. Even if the written work is completed, student learning is compromised. In addition, the school and district lose valuable funding for each day each child misses school.
We appreciate your support in this area since it demonstrates to your child that school is important – a positive attitude for students to develop.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PERTUSSIS
Public Health has noted a general increase in community-acquired pertussis (whooping cough) this year. Several schools in Concord and Walnut Creek have had cases, and now one in Pittsburg.
PROCEDURES
Effective April 13, 2023, A doctor's note is required when out sick for 3 or more consecutive days. When a student is chronically absent, the parent/guardian must provide medical verification for future absences to be excused. Chronic absenteeism means that a student has missed 10 percent or more of school days(to date) due to absences for any reason—excused, unexcused absences and suspensions.
Absences can cause students to have difficulty learning to read by their third-grade benchmark assessments, affect academic achievement in middle school, or affect student motivation to do the work required to graduate from high school.
Per MDUSD Board Regulation 5113 “If a student shows a pattern of chronic absenteeism due to illness, district staff may require physician verification for further absences to be excused.”
To clear an absence, do ONE of the following:
- Send an email to dvesattendance@mdusd.org , OR
- Call our 24-hour attendance hotline Phone: 925-682-8000 extension 84210 to report the absence, OR
- Send a note to the office with your child
Please don't forget to include the following in your message:
- Child’s full name
- Date of absence
- Teacher’s name
- Specific nature of the absence (illness, vacation, funeral, etc)
- Your relationship to the student
It is important to clear an absence within 72 hours. After three unexcused absences, a child can be declared truant. A total of 10 days absence per year is considered excessive. Our office will mail absence letters to remind parents if absences are excessive as part of our “Every Day Counts” program. The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is absent excessively.
Students with perfect attendance and no tardiness are given a “Perfect Attendance” award each trimester and at the end of the year.
TARDIES
School begins at 7:50 am Students who arrive at school after the bell has rung are considered tardy.
Students arriving after the bell has rung must report to the office for a purple tardy pass before they go to class. A tardy of 30 minutes or more without a valid excuse is considered truant. Please remember that a valid excuse may be a medical/dental appointment or illness. Waking up late, or traffic are not considered valid excuses.
Promptness is very important since students miss valuable directions and instruction. They are then at a real disadvantage. Furthermore, when they enter the class late, it disturbs the learning environment for other students.
The MDUSD School Attendance and Reporting Board is notified if a student is tardy excessively.