Attendance
Attendance Policy and Procedures
Attendance is an essential component of EGCS’ educational model. Students are required to attend a weekly ISP meeting and all ISP teacher assigned workshop classes. Although EGCS incorporates an alternative schedule, student attendance is crucial to their learning needs. Two problematic components of attendance are absences and tardies.
Absences
There are two types of absences: excused and unexcused. Absences of any kind are disruptive to the students’ learning environment. Students are expected to attend scheduled ISP meetings and workshop classes when assigned (see master agreement). California Education Code 48260 (a) states:
Ed Code Section 48205 indicates absences for the following reasons will be marked as an excused absence:
- Personal illness or injury.
- Quarantine under the direction of a county health officer.
- Medical, dental optometric or chiropractic services.
- Attendance at funeral services for a member of the immediate family (1 day in state, 3 days if out of state).
- Pupil is the custodial parent of a child who is ill or has a medical appointment during school.
- Exclusion for failure to present evidence of immunization.
- Exclusion from school because student is either the carrier of a contagious disease or not immunized for a contagious disease.
In the event a student is absent from school, parents/guardians are asked to notify the office of absences the day of the absence. Any notification reported to the school beyond seven calendar days after an absence will not be excused. Because of EGCS’s alternative schedule, appointments and other events should be scheduled outside of the instructional day. For absences that may occur due to appointments during the instructional day, prior notification is preferred and documentation is required.
Excessive absences (excused or unexcused) may result in a student’s difficulty in mastering the subject matter. Therefore, after 5 absences (excused, unexcused, or both) EGCS will ask for a doctor’s note or other verification documents to excuse future absences (see previous list). Also, per the school’s enrollment agreement transportation is not an acceptable excuse for missing school.
A student who misses more than 10% of their ISP meetings and scheduled workshop classes will be classified as a “chronic truant”. Chronic truants are in violation of the enrollment contract at EGCS. Therefore, chronic truant students may be released from EGCS and may receive a failing grade in the courses.
Unexcused absences are any absence (ISP/workshop) outside of the previously defined excused absence policy (see pg. 5). In addition, per Education Code 48263.6., any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education who is absent from school without a valid excuse for 10 percent or more of the school days in one school year, from the date of enrollment to the current date, is deemed a chronic truant. Chronic truants are in violation of the enrollment contract at EGCS. Therefore, chronic truant students may be released from EGCS and may receive a failing grade in the courses.
All unexcused absences are documented in the school’s information system (Synergy) and parents/guardians will be notified. Students with unexcused absences may not be allowed to make up missing work and may be placed on an attendance intervention plan developed by parents/guardians, teachers, and the student. Students with 5 or more unexcused absences will have their grade reduced by ten percent and all future absences will need official documentation in order to be excused (ex. doctor’s note, court documentation). Unexcused absences may result in release from EGCS regardless of workshop or ISP performance.
Workshop Attendance Policy
All absences are disruptive to the education environment and make it difficult for students to master the course content. This is especially true of direct-instruction workshop courses. In order to address the disparity between student attendance, grades and credit accrual, EGCS will implement the following practice in the 2019-20 school year:
- If a student misses 10% of a workshop (excused or unexcused), 10% of the total possible credits may be subtracted from the student (ex. For a 5 credit semester course the student will receive 4.5 credits).
- If a student misses 20% of a workshop (excused or unexcused), 20% of the total possible credits may be subtracted from the students (ex. For a 5 credit course the student will receive 4 credits).
- If a student misses more than 20% of a workshop, administration will meet with the student and family to determine the most appropriate course of action and if EGCS is an appropriate learning environment for the student.
- Credit accrual is dependent on passing the course material and assessments. Students may complete late work per EGCS’s and the teachers’ late work policies.
Tardies
A tardy is defined as any time a student enters the class after the bell has rung. For ISP appointments, students are tardy if they arrive at any time after the scheduled start time. Students are encouraged to arrive to school on-time and ready to learn. ISP meetings take place once a week and are scheduled for 60 minutes. Arriving on-time is absolutely essential for an effective ISP meeting. In addition, students arriving to their assigned workshops after the teacher has taken roll will be directed to the office to receive a late pass. Any student arriving more than 30 minutes late will be marked as “Beyond Late.”
Consequences for tardiness:
Arriving to school on-time and ready to learn is essential to success at EGCS. Students arriving late will be marked as tardy in the school’s student information system and parents/guardians will be informed. Teachers may use detentions or other means to deter students from being tardy. Per the school’s enrollment agreement, transportation can never be an excuse for absences or tardies. All tardies are considered unexcused regardless of the reason. Three tardies equal one unexcused absences and the student will be assigned a 30 minute detention. Tardies may result in the development of an attendance intervention plan or release from EGCS.
Truancy Intervention Program (T.I.P.)
Elk Grove Charter School has implemented a Truancy Intervention Program (T.I.P.) with the goal to reduce truancy rates and increase the time students spend in workshops. Truancy is proven to have a large impact on student achievement and preparedness for college and career. The TIP process identifies students with poor attendance who are placed on the school’s TIP list. Increasing student awareness of attendance concerns through one-on-one “Hallway Talk” discussions between the student and administration is the primary tool of the TIP program. The Parent Liaison/Administration who initiates the “hallway talk” summarizes the discussion in writing. The student’s parents/guardians are notified and the details of the discussion are documented in the school’s student information system.
Students on the T.I.P. list are monitored closely and upon any escalation of truancies the parents/guardians are contacted and scheduled to attend a formal truancy intervention meeting with the school’s administration. The focus of the meeting will be to determine the root cause of the truancies and implement a student support and success plan. Students who continue to be truant may be placed on an attendance probation contract and if the truancies are not corrected the student may be dismissed from EGCS.
