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FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY PTA

Santa Monica, CA

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02.03.14 |

Attendance is Important & Truancy Letters Explained

From the desk of Mrs. Sinfield

ATTENDANCE IS CRUCIAL!!!  If you have received an attendance letter, here is some information to refer to:
I just got a letter from the school about absences.  Why did I get this letter?
Three UNEXCUSED
 absences are considered excessive and trigger a letter to be sent out from our automated system.  EIGHT excused (illness etc) absences are considered excessive.  Six unexcused absences warrant a 2nd letter and 9 unexcused absences warrants a 3rd letter. Three long tardies  (arriving to school after 9 a.m.)  will also cause a letter to be sent.

What is an excused absence?
Illness, bereavement of a family member, court hearings are considered excused absences (please be specific about the type of illness your child has when writing a note or sending an email, cold, flu, fever dental appt etc ).  Being out of town, visiting Grandparents, going to Disneyland on a school day are  considered unexcused.  These are State guidelines.   Also regardless of the reason for your child’s absence, the funds are lost, which means the State does not pay the District the $45 per day towards our budget!!

I went on vacation and sent a letter.  Why am I being told that my child has unexcused absences?
Regardless of whether or not you sent a note, vacation time is not considered excused.  This is true of personal days as well.

Then why should I send a note?
Even if it is not considered excused in the State’s system, we do need to know the reason for your child’s absences to keep a personal record within the District’s database.  This is needed information for when we are audited.

What do I need to put in my child’s absence letter if he or she missed school?
Please send an email to and include the following information:

absent@franklinschool.net

Student name

Teacher name

Date of absence

Reason for the absence (i.e., cold, flu, vacation, personal, bereavement, etc. and please be specific about the type of illness if your child is ill)
How many days do I have to clear an absence? Can I send a letter now that I received a letter from the school?
Absences must be cleared within 72 hours from the date of absence in order to have your child’s attendance record up to date.

What if my child is tardy?  
Tardies due to a Doctor’s visit will require a note from the doctor’s office upon arrival to school.  Remember 3 lengthy tardies  (arriving after 9 am) are considered truant.

What is the cost when my child is absent?

When your child misses school, he or she misses valuable instruction.  There is also a financial cost associated with absence. Each day that your child is out of school costs us $45.00.  If your child is out 10 days, then we lose $450 dollars.  If 100 children are out 10 days, then we lose $45,000.   We are not reimbursed for students’ absences for any reason, even illness; however, independent study is the exception.
What is independent study?
You may request independent study if your child will be out for 5 or more consecutive school days.  You must prearrange with your child’s teacher 2 weeks prior to the absence.  You must also see Varso in the front office –2 weeks prior to the absence – to get the contract that must be completed so that your child and the school receive credit for the missed days.  
**Of course, if your child is truly ill or there is a loss in your family, we realize that you may miss a few days; however, vacations, visiting with friends or relatives, or a trip to Disneyland, or “take your child to work day” are not legitimate excuses in the eyes of the State.

Once again, we plead with all of our families to consider the impact not only to our budget, but to your child’s education prior to having your child stay home from school.  We are NOT advocating sending students to school sick.  We ARE advocating scheduling appointments and vacations during times school isn’t in session.  If there is an emergency, and you must be gone for five days or more, please arrange for independent study through the front office.   Upon verification of completion of the independent study, the school district will be able to recoup the lost funding for those days.

Thank you for helping us improve our attendance and provide as much instructional time to your children as possible!

Deanna Sinfield

Assistant Principal

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310-828-2814 - 2400 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403