Attendance Policy
Absences:
- Students must turn in absence notes during non-instructional time to the attendance office.
- Uncleared absences will be marked unverified absences. Students or Parents have 48 hours to clear the absence.
- A note from the parent must have the student’s name, grade level, reason for absence, all dates of absence, and parent/guardian signature.
- The Attendance Clerk can be reached at (626) 933-8814 from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.
*Attendance office will be open daily at 7:30 am. If you come to verify your absence during class time, you will be marked tardy for the period.
Students with 10 or more absences may be placed on a SART (Student Attendance Review Team) Attendance Contract. Additional truancies can result in a SARB referral to Student Family Services. Students with excessive attendance issues will have their privileges taken away (i.e., dances, special events, graduation, etc.)
Tardies:
If you are not physically in your seat when the tardy bell rings, you are tardy. If you arrive at school less than 30 minutes late, you are to report to your class and will receive an unexcused tardy. After 30 minutes, you will be marked truant. (Note: Tardies start over each semester.)
- Initial Tardy (up to 4) - Warning by teacher.
- Additional Tardies (5 to 9) - Student will be assigned a one-hour detention.
- Habitual Tardies (10 to 29) - Referral to Assistant Principal. Consequences can include detention or loss of school privileges. Student may be placed on attendance contract.
- Chronic Tardies (30+) - Loss of All Student Privileges (i.e., dances, special events, graduation, etc.) Administrator may request a parent meeting. Student may be placed on a SART attendance contract.
Tardy Sweeps:
Tardy sweeps will be conducted throughout the year and students are expected to serve detention on the same day.
Truancy:
All students are expected to be in school daily. Absences not excused by a parent/guardian and approved by a school official are noted as truant. In addition, tardiness to school more than 30 minutes is, by law, considered absent or truant.
- Truancies may result in after school detention.
*Habitual truancies will be reported to HLPUSD (Hacienda La Puente Unified School District) School Police and may result in a truancy citation. Students deemed to be habitually absent/truant may also be referred to HLPUSD’s Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) team.
Reporting Absences
To report a student absence, please email the attendance office with your excusal at abonaventura@hlpusd.org or FAX (626) 855-3148.
The email should contain the following information:
- Student's full name
- Student ID #
- Reason for absence
- Name of the person reporting the absence
- The email must come from the parent email address listed in Aeries
If you prefer to call in your student's absence, please call (626) 933-8814, (626)933-8815 and leave the same information listed above. The telephone number you are calling from should match the number the school has on file in Aeries.
Excusing an Absence
All absences must be cleared within 72 hours. When excusing an absence, please be sure to include the student's name, date of absence, and reason for absence to avoid any delay in excusing the absence.
- If there is an error in your student's attendance, it is your student's responsibility to address the matter with their teacher and have the teacher contact the attendance office to make corrections.
- When picking up your student early, or calling the office to have your student excused, please allow up to 20 minutes for your student to be brought to the office.
You can click here to see the California Education Code list of acceptable reasons to excuse an absence.
Pre-Approval Excusal for Non-Excusable Reasons
If your student is going to be absent and it does not fall under one of the excusable reasons, you may complete this form prior to the absence and turn it into the attendance office. No pre-approval will be issued for the first twenty (20) school days and the last twenty (20) school days of the year.
Non-excusable
Pre-Approval Excusal for non-excusable reasons
If your student is going to be absent and it does not fall under one of the excusable reasons, you may complete this form prior to the absence and turn it into the attendance office. No pre-approval will be issued for the first twenty (20) school days and the last twenty (20) school days of the year.
For pre-planned absences of one to four days, advance written request by the parent/guardian and approval of the principal or designee is required for the following justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to: (Ed. Code 48205-a7)
- Appearance in court (attachment required)
- Attendance at a funeral service
- Observation of a holiday or ceremony of his/her Religion
- Attendance at religious retreat (attachment required)
- Employment interview or conference (attachment required)
- Family emergency (less than 5 school days)
- College visit
- Visa Appointment (attachment required)
- Other pre-approved justifiable reason (non-vacation)
*For other justifiable personal reasons, please discuss with your school administrator prior to submitting the pre-approval.
If you would like to leave a message for the attendance office for any other reason, please call and leave a voice message on our Attendance Line: (626) 933-8814
Short-term Independent Study
Short-term independent study may be available to students who plan to be absent due to a trip or non-medical reason for a period of at least five (5) school days and no more than fourteen (14) school days. Requests must be submitted AT LEAST ten (10) school days before the absence.
No Short Term Independent Study agreements will be issued for the first twenty (20) school days and the last twenty (20) school days of the year.
For more information about short-term independent study, please see our Student Handbook. For more information about short-term independent study click HERE.
Excessive Excused Absences
Per LUSD Administrative Regulation (AR) 5113(c), after a student has had 3 consecutive and/or 10 total absences verified by a parent for illness, any further absences must be verified by a physician.
To access the attendance section of the Student Handbook, please click here.