Keep Your Child On Track in Middle and High School 

Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Good attendance is a shared responsibility between the student and the parent. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job. We expect parents to send their children to school each day on time and to call in any absence within 3 school days. We expect student to arrive at each class on time, to stay at school and to discuss attendance issue with their parents. For more details, go to the student handbook, page 6. Access important tips and information about why attendance is important and what parents can do to support it.

How You Can Help

§  Be proactive. Check your child’s attendance regularly through Q Parent Connect website. Contact the Redwood office if you need a PIN or password.

§  When you receive an automated phone call regarding an absence, call the Redwood attendance line at (805)497-7264 immediately to clear the absence. The line accepts messages 24 hours a day including weekends.

§  If you believe a teacher has mistakenly marked your child absent, please contact that teacher directly.

Redwood is a closed campus. After arriving in the morning, students are to remain at school all day unless they are signed out by a parent/guardian. Visitors may not attend classes with Redwood students. Non Redwood students are not permitted on campus. Violators will be cited and their home school notified if they do not leave when requested.

Absences must be reported and cleared, otherwise they will be considered truancies. Any uncleared absences will be considered truant after 3 days. When truant, students may not be allowed to make up any missed class work, tests, or assignments.

• A telephone call is the best way to report your student’s absence. Please call (805) 497-7264 and press 1 for the attendance line. Please call each morning of the day your child will be absent. Your student will NOT need to bring a note if you’ve notified us by phone.
• A written absence note should be presented to the Attendance Office when returning (if no phone call was made). 
• When a student has had 14 absences in the school year for illnesses verified by excused methods listed, any further absences for illness shall be verified by a physician (CVUSD AR 5113).
• Students with absences over 10% will be invited with their parent/guardian to a SART Meeting with site counselors and administration to discuss attendance. If attendance does not improve thereafter, they will be referred to the CVUSD SARB committee. The School Attendance Review Board (made up of District officials, the Ventura County District Attorney, law enforcement, a behavioral and public health official, Interface and other community based organizations) addresses the chronic attendance and truancy problems of students. SARB offers students a last chance to improve attendance before a referral is made to juvenile court.

 Messages or Notes Should Include the Following:

• Date
• Student's full name
• Student's grade
• Date(s) of absence
• Reason for absence
• Parent/Guardian name/signature and contact number

Both California and school district policies state that only the following absences can be cleared with a phone call from a parent or guardian:

• Personal illness or injury
• Quarantine or Immunizations
• Attendance at events sponsored by the school
• Entertainment industry (work permit required)
• Medical, dental, optometric or chiropractic appointment
• Attendance at funeral services for member of the immediate family – 1 day in California, 3 days outside of state
• Religious instruction or retreat (up to 4 hours per semester)
• Advanced written request for planned student absence
• PERSONAL BUSINESS = (unexcused) Examples of unexcused absences are student overslept, traffic, had a flat tire, and had to take care of personal or family business.

The phone call must be received within 3 school days after the student returns to school. 

Excusing Absences for Other Reasons

§  Absence for court appearance, funeral, religious observance, ceremonies, and college visits may be excused ONLY when a parent submits a written request ONE WEEK PRIOR to the anticipate absence and received approval from the Dean of Students, Redwood’s Attendance Liaison.

§  Approval will be based on the student’s attendance record, academic progress, and reason for the absence. If this procedure is not followed, the absence will be considered truant.

§  Absence for family vacation cannot be excused.

What is “truancy” and What are the Consequences?

• All unexcused absences are classified as “truant.” In the past, uncleared absences were labeled as “unexcused.” A student can also be considered “truant” if they are more than 30 minutes late to class for unexcused reasons. Many parents object to the team “truant” because they feel it implies their child is a juvenile delinquent, but we do not attach any such meaning to the term.
• Student will be placed on Redwood’s Loss of Privileges List at 6 truancies to a single class. Note that in high school, a student may be drop/failed from a class after 7 truancies or tardies.

Communications about Attendance

• Automated phone call system – calls home each night that a student has been marked absent if the absence hasn’t already been cleared by the parent/guardian
• Automated phone call system- calls home each night that a student has been marked tardy to class
• Student attendance information can be viewed on Q Parent Connect

For late arrivals, students should arrive to school with a note excusing their late arrival and signed by their parent/guardian. Students must check in at the front office to sign in and receive a pass, even if they arrive during passing period or lunch.

In all cases, be prepared to show photo I.D.
There may be times during the year when it is necessary for a parent/guardian to take their student from school for part of the day. If you know in advance of a scheduled appointment please call the office with the reason and time of departure and send a note with your student to school to expedite the sign-out process. The written note should include:

• Date
• Student's full name
• Student's Grade
• Time to be released from class
• Reason
• If applicable, permission for release to a specific, named emergency contact. Note: the contact must be already listed on the student's Emergency Contact Form.
• Signature of parent or guardian and contact number

First, the student shows the release note to their teacher at the appropriate time. The student will be released from class and must bring the same note and report to the office. The student may be signed out in the office by the parent or guardian. Or, students with written notes may sign themselves out and meet their parent at the gate.

Parents who come to sign their student out of school without a note will need to come to Redwood’s office, show ID, and wait while their child is summoned from class. Please plan your appointment times accordingly. Summoning your child to the office can take 5-15 minutes. You may call at least 1 hour ahead so that a summoning slip can be created prior to your arrival. We will work hard to get your child to the office in a timely manner, but we do not have the personnel to deliver last minute slips without a wait.

Any other person signing out a student must be listed on the student's emergency card. Written permission must be explicitly stated in a note for an emergency contact to sign out your child. For early releases, we cannot release students to emergency contacts without specific, written parental consent. This is a district policy.

Students have one day to make up the work for full credit for each day missed. Students may request work from teachers if they have missed three (3) or more days of school. Please email teachers through the Q portal or emails available on this website.  All work will be held in the attendance office for pick up at the end of the school day. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for the completion of make-up work.

Specific questions regarding your child's attendance can be answered by Redwood’s Attendance Clerk, Ms. Soriano (805.497.7264 ext. 1004) or bsoriano@conejousd.org