Contact Information

Attendance Information

ATTENDANCE HOTLINE:  858-538-5692  --  Available 24 hours

Attendance Secretary:
Notifying the school of absences and tardies:
Please call the Attendance hotline for all student absence and tardies. The messages are checked throughout the day, but we appreciate you calling as early as possible. The hotline is available 24/7. For planned appointments you can always call days in advance. The Attendance office also accepts written notes. All Attendance notes should be given to the Attendance clerk, NOT your student’s teacher.

**As a reminder, only parents and legal guardians may call the hotline or write attendance notes.
Medical Notes: When your student misses any amount of school for a doctor/dentist appointment, it is beneficial to his/her attendance record to bring an official medical note to the attendance desk. Any all-day absence excused by a medical note does not count toward your student’s absence total.

OFF CAMPUS PASSES (Early Release):

Student safety is a major concern for us. Students must be signed out at the attendance desk before departing early. Students are not allowed to wait in front of the school to be picked up during school hours.

If your student needs to leave early from school, please send a note with your student. Notes should be given to the Attendance secretary, NOT your student's teacher, before school. Calling the school in advance, or sending a note, will prevent delays for you (such as trying to get your student while they are running cross-country) and will help us to minimize interruptions to the classrooms. If you forgot to send a note you may call the Attendance Hotline @ 538-5692 to have an off campus pass sent to your student.

When writing a note, please indicate:
  • Your student's first and last name
  • Reason for the early departure
  • The time your student needs to leave school
  • Whether or not your student will return that day
Please meet your child at the attendance desk to be signed out at the time of departure. Be prepared to show your identification when checking out your child.

If your student returns to school after being picked up early, please have him/her check back in at the Attendance desk before heading to class.

CLEARING ABSENCES:

If your student is absent, please call the Attendance hotline as soon as possible each day your student is absent (unless you give us a date range for multiple days). A parent or legal guardian must make this call.
In the message, please state:
  • Your student’s first and last name
  • Their grade
  • The date of the absence(s)
  • The reason (if sick, please list symptoms)
  • Your relationship to the student
  • A phone number where you can be reached.

Students will be listed as truant if we do not receive a call or note from a parent/guardian.

Excessive Absences and Truancies

The law in California regarding compulsory school attendance for minors is very specific and carries penalties for both parents and minors for failure to comply with these regulations. The process is explained below with the purpose of providing full disclosure about the legal responsibility all parents have to make sure their children attend school on time, every day. Thank you for your cooperation as we work together to provide your children with the finest education.
 
  • Excessive Excused Absences:
    • 12 full-day excused absences in one school year are considered excessive. Parents will receive a letter from the school office as notification. 16 absences will trigger a 2nd letter, and 20 will trigger a 3rd.
    • To avoid this process, please try and provide a medical note from your doctor/dentist if your student has a need to miss school for medical reasons. Any absence excused by a medical note does NOT count toward your student’s number of absences.
 
  • Truancy:
    • 3 full-day truancies (unexcused absences) in one school year will trigger a letter home.
    • 6 truancies will trigger a 2nd letter, and 9 will trigger a 3rd.

Copies of the above letters are sent to the district’s Student Attendance and Discipline office.
Students with truancies or excessive excused absences will be referred to a Student Attendance Review Team. This team is comprised of Poway Unified School District personnel and works with the student and parents to eliminate attendance problems and issues appropriate disciplinary measures.

TARDINESS:

If a student is not in their seat by 8:20am (9:20am on Wednesdays), he or she is tardy. If your student’s tardy is to be excused, please do one of the following:
 
  • Accompany your student to the office, and sign them in at the Attendance desk.
  • Call and leave a message on the Attendance hotline.
  • Send a note with your student. Notes should be taken to the Attendance desk, not your student’s teacher.

All students need to check in with Attendance when they are late.
Parents may not excuse tardies which occur between classes during the school day.
If your student believes a tardy was given incorrectly, please have him/her notify the attendance office.
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The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is an equal opportunity employer/program and is committed to an active Nondiscrimination Program. PUSD prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, immigration status, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, physical or mental ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For more information, please contact: Title IX/Equity Compliance Officer, James Jimenez, Associate Superintendent of Personnel Support Services, Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128, 858-521-2800, extension 2761, jjimenez@powayusd.com
Poway Unified School District, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, CA 92128-3406