Attendance
Attendance Office Hours:
During the regular school year: Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
24-Hour hotline: 858-676-6311
If your child is absent from school, you need to clear a previous absence, or you need to pick your child up early from school, please contact the attendance 24-hour hotline at 858-676-6311. Please be aware we do not accept notes to excuse absences or tardies unless they are from your healthcare professional because of a medical appointment or health condition.
Attendance Policy Reporting All Day Absences: It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to report their student’s absence. To report an absence, call the hotline each day the student is absent. All absences must be cleared within 48 hours or they are coded as truant. Please be prepared to provide your student’s name, grade, the date of the absence, the reason for the absence, your name and your relationship to the student.
Arriving Less than 15 Minutes Late: Students arriving during the first 15 minutes of school will go directly to class where the teacher will record the tardy. If the parent/guardian calls to clear the tardy, the attendance office staff will clear the tardy once the message is received. Please be prepared to provide your student’s name, grade, the date of the tardy, the reason for the tardy, your name and your relationship to the student.
Arriving More than 15 Minutes Late: All students arriving more than 15 minutes late must check in at the Attendance Office for a late slip. This includes students arriving between classes, during break, and at lunch. If you call to excuse the tardy, please be prepared to provide your student’s name, grade, the date of the tardy, the reason for the tardy, your name and your relationship to the student.
Early Release Passes: Students who must leave campus early need an early release pass. Parents/guardians, please call the hotline the day before a pass is needed or by 7:30 a.m. of the requested day. Please be prepared to provide your student’s name, grade, the date and time of the pass, the reason for the pass, your name and your relationship to the student. Students will then pick up their pass from the Attendance Office between classes, at break, or during lunch. Please note: If a parent calls the hotline with sufficient time, the student should be waiting in front of the school and parents will not have to come to the office to check the student out. Parents who do not call or call last minute should plan to come to the office with a photo ID. There may be a delay while our staff locates your student and delivers the pass. We avoid interrupting the learning environment, so calling ahead will expedite the early check out process for the parent, the student, and the school staff. Students must have an early release pass to leave during school hours. Students leaving campus without a pass are considered truant and cannot be excused by a parent or legal guardian.
Illness During School: Students who become ill after arriving on campus must report to the Health Office to obtain their early release pass. Ill students are not checked out through the attendance office, but rather the health office.
Medical Excuses: To avoid being penalized for any tardy or absence, the State of California requires verification in writing on official health care providers' letterhead showing student’s name and date of appointment. Please have your student deliver their medical note directly to the Attendance Office or email Shirley Rowe at srowe@powayusd.com and Andrea Martinson-Fuller at amartinsonfuller@powayusd.com.
Off-Campus Independent Study (OCIS): What to do for Extended Absences? Parent/Guardian requesting independent study for their student for five (5) or more days will need to notify the Attendance Office (Hotline #858-676-6311) a minimum of seven (7) working days prior to departure. The Attendance Office will provide the student with a contract (Master Agreement) and assignment sheets no less than five (5) days prior to departure. The student will deliver the assignment sheets to each of the student's teachers. The Master Agreement must be signed and dated by all parties (including the parent/guardian) prior to the absence. The day before the student departs, the student will be given the OCIS packet to be completed by the date specified in the agreement. Note that the OCIS contract contains three dates: the beginning date of the contract, the ending date of the contract, and the date in which the work is due ("due date"). When the student returns from OCIS, he/she must report to the Attendance Office with ONE COPY of TWO ASSIGNMENTS for EACH CLASS before reporting to class.
Sporadic attendance impacts the academic achievement of your student. We have initiated a comprehensive attendance monitoring program at Del Norte to curtail chronic absences and to keep you informed of your student's presence in classes. Attendance is taken in each period. To ensure the best educational experience, attendance to class MUST be a priority. If a student has twelve full-day absences this will be considered excessive and a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) Appointment letter will be sent to the district office, unless a medical note is provided. If you have any questions regarding your student’s attendance or any of our attendance procedures or policies, please contact Shirley Rowe, Attendance Supervisor, at srowe@powayusd.com or 858-487-0877x6322