West Hills High School

West Hills High School recognizes the relationship between positive student attendance and academic success.

 

Absence, truancy and tardiness to school/class results in a loss of opportunity to learn and to maximize time on task.

 

A period truancy occurs when a student is absent for more than 30 minutes in a single period without being excused by a parent through a note or phone call. Similarly, a truancy occurs when a student is absent and the absence is not excused by a parent/guardian through a note or phone call to the attendance office.

 

Automated attendance notices will be sent to parents/guardians by Infinite Campus Messenger informing them of any tardies or absences that occurred that day.

 

Parents/guardians should contact the school in the event of extenuating circumstances; the administration should discuss the case with the teacher involved.

 

To clear a full day absence, the student must do one of the following within 72hrs (including the absent day) or he/she will be considered truant:

Excused Absences - Absences may be cleared for the following reasons according to the CA Education Code (EC 48205), include:

*Check the student handbook for excused absences that need prior approval.

 

Assignments and tests may be made up for excused absences, but the student needs to make arrangements with their teachers and complete the work within a reasonable time period.

 

There will be no automatic drop from class. However, students who accumulate more than ten unexcused absences may not earn a passing grade and must attend Saturday School or after-school intervention in order to ensure receiving a passing grade. 

 

Excused absences may also be made-up by attending Saturday Scholars or after-school interventions. In accordance with Education Code, Section 37223, students with unexcused absences may be required to attend Saturday Scholar days. 

 

Students may be dropped for excessive absences (exceeding ten absences in a semester class), if it is determined that the absences, in combination with, lack of effort, lack of academic success, or poor attitude results in disruptive behavior. 

 

Students and parents/guardians must recognize that there is a direct relationship between school attendance and grades/credits earned

 

**Due to the high volume of absences, the attendance office is no longer able to make courtesy calls home to remind parents to clear student absences. If the parent has set up their Parent Portal account within Infinite Campus, they may receive automated calls. Questions on how to set up a Parent Portal Account are answered by calling the District Help Line: (619)956-HELP (4357).

If your student is leaving campus early for a planned appointment, they need to bring a note to the attendance office before school; otherwise it will be considered a period truancy.  If your student does not have a note, please call the attendance office at (619)956-0432 as early as possible on the day of your partial day absence and have your student pick up their leave pass before they leave school.  Students must grab their pass from the attendance office before leaving campus if it hasn’t been delivered to them in class.

Notes for Early Dismissal must include:

 If an unplanned circumstance arises and a student needs to leave school early, a legal parent/guardian needs to come and check-in with our receptionist in the front office.  She will further direct you to the Attendance Office for our check-out process.

 

Students are only released to legal guardians through the attendance office, unless permission is given from the guardian in a note or phone call for someone else to pick up the student (i.e. grandparents, sister, brother, neighbor). Please don't confuse this with an emergency release for sick students through the nurse's office; they have a different release policy.

 

If a student has a minimum of 3 tardies, period truancies, or all day truancies, (or any combination of the three), they may be subject to any the following: