Attendance

At Sunny Brae Middle School your student is important to us. Our staff take pride in knowing all students by name, and we notice when they are not at school. Your student is an important part of our school community and school is an important part of their development. When students are in school they don’t only experience academic growth, they also experience social/ emotional learning, and opportunities to expand their interest. Being on time to school everyday helps students build valuable skills that they will carry into their future.

How to Excuse Absences

Calling: You can call the school office at anytime to inform/excuse us of an absence. We check our voicemail every school day. Staff is in the office daily from 7:45 to 4 and ready to take your call.

Email: You can also always email office staff to inform us of an absence. [email protected] or [email protected] are the emails to use if your student will be missing school

Any absence your student may experience has five days to be cleared. Please make sure you make contact with the office within the five days to ensure your student does not experience an "unexcused absence" when avoidable.

When can you miss school?

Illness, Quarantine, Medical Appointments, Funeral Services, Religious Holidays/ Practices

Subject to any applicable limitation, condition, or other requirement specified in law, a student's absence shall be excused for any of the following purposes:

Personal illness, including absence for the benefit of the student's mental or behavioral health (Education Code 48205)
Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer (Education Code 48205)
Medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic service or appointment (Education Code 48205)
Attendance at funeral services for or grieving the death of a member of the student's immediate family or, as determined by the student's parent/guardian, a person so closely associated with the student as to be considered the student's immediate family (Education Code 48205) A student may be excused for this reason for up to five days for each incident. (Education Code 48205)
Jury duty in the manner provided for by law (Education Code 48205)
Illness or medical appointment of a child to whom the student is the custodial parent (Education Code 48205)
Upon advance written request by the parent/guardian and the approval of the principal or designee, justifiable personal reasons including, but not limited to: (Education Code 48205)
1. Attendance or appearance in court
2. Attendance at a funeral service
3. Observance of a religious holiday or ceremony
4. Attendance at religious retreats for no more than one school day each semester
5. Attendance at an employment conference
6. Attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization
Service as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Elections Code 12302 (Education Code 48205)
To spend time with an immediate family member who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in Education Code 49701, and has been called to duty for deployment or is on leave from or has immediately returned from such deployment (Education Code 48205)
Attendance at the student's naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen (Education Code 48205)
Participation in a cultural ceremony or event which relates to the habits, practices, beliefs, and traditions of a certain group of people (Education Code 48205)
For a middle school or high school student, engagement in a civic or political event, provided that the student notifies the school ahead of the absence (Education Code 48205)
Unless otherwise permitted by the Superintendent or designee, students shall be limited to one such school day-long absence each school year (Education Code 48205)
When a student's immediate family member or, as determined by the student's parent/guardian, a person so closely associated with the student as to be considered the student's immediate family has died: (Education Code 48205)
For a student's participation in military entrance processing
Participation in religious exercises or to receive moral and religious instruction at the student's place of worship or other suitable place away from school property as designated by the religious group, church, or denomination (Education Code 46014)
For a student who holds a work permit authorizing work in the entertainment or allied industries for a period of not more than five consecutive days, work in such industry (Education Code 48225.5)
Participation with a nonprofit performing arts organization in a performance for a public school audience (Education Code 48225.5)
A student may be excused for up to five such absences each school year provided that the student's parent/guardian provides a written explanation of such absence to the school. (Education Code 48225.5)
Other reasons authorized at the discretion of the principal or designee based on the student's specific circumstances (Education Code 48205, 48260)

For the purpose of the absences described above, immediate family means the student's parent/guardian, sibling, grandparent, or any other relative living in the student's household. (Education Code 48205)

Being Late & Cutting Class

Common Reasons Students Miss School

Missing an occasional day of school is sometimes unavoidable. We want to work with you to try to avoid absences. Our campus has amazing resources that we would love to connect you to. There are many reasons that students miss school. Some of the most common reasons for missing school are sickness, medical appointments, travel, anxiety, and school avoidance.

Sickness: Our school requires that if a student misses more than three days due to illness, we need a medical note excusing them.

Medical Appointments: Whenever possible, medical appointments should be made outside of school hours, but we know that it is not always possible. When medical appointments need to take place during the school day we ask that the student attends school before and after the appointment when possible. We also need documentation to excuse the medical appointment. This can be a note from the medical provider, an appointment reminder, or a summary of the appointment.

Travel: Sunny Brae offers Short Term Independent Study. If you know that your student will be missing one or more days we can work with teachers to gather the work they will miss. If the conditions are met, these days will not be recorded as absences.

Anxiety: By avoiding situations that cause anxiety we reinforce that anxiety cycle. Once students take the first step of staying at school while feeling anxious they can be connected to the amazing staff we have that are trained to help students through anxiety. When our students stay and connect with the staff to help them they build a resistance to the anxiety that may surround school.

School Avoidance: Middle school is a very challenging time for students. During this time in their lives students face many changes in their lives and sometimes this can make students avoid school. We have staff that are here on campus everyday to help our students through these changes. Our Wellness Center staff work with students and families on campus and off campus to make sure needs are met and to help make our school community as inclusive as possible.

A message from Gillian Townsend the Student Attendance Review Board Program Manager at HCOE

Gillian Townsend

Program Manager - School Attendance & Family Support

707-445-7098

[email protected]

California Education Code Section 48200 requires everyone between six and eighteen years of age to attend school, except for those who have graduated from high school, passed the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and obtained parental permission to leave, or are subject to specific waivers. In our state and county, however, many students with poor attendance or behavior are falling behind and/or dropping out of school. Some children never enroll in school or do not re-enroll after a move. Quick and effective action is needed to stop this trend. Truancy and excessive absenteeism are not new problems but they are costly, long-term problems for students, schools, and the community.

Prevention and early intervention are the most effective strategies to improve school attendance and reduce truancy. Building a positive and inviting school climate, communicating high expectations for attendance and involving parents, students and staff members in these efforts are the basics for achieving school attendance goals. Consistent efforts should be made at the classroom and school level before referring families to the district level or to the courts. Each school or district should have in place a Site Attendance Review Team (SART) or a Student Success Team (SST) to address student and family needs prior to a time when more serious action would need to be taken.

For pupils with continued attendance or behavioral problems, the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process is a systematic, collaborative approach to meeting their needs. EC Sections 48320-48325 provide the structures for the School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs) at the district level to create a safety net for students with persistent attendance or behavior problems.