ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION - 5113.1

Parents/guardians of children are welcome partners in improving the school attendance of their children. Trust and collaboration should be the objective in communicating and interacting with parents about school attendance problems. The District’s Attendance Designee and other staff responsible for supervising attendance shall use appropriate formal and informal school attendance notifications and shall facilitate open and honest discussions about school attendance before designating students as “habitual truants.,” as defined in Ed Code.

The designee will conduct full and impartial investigations of all school attendance concerns or referrals and may forward cases of persistent irregular attendance or habitual truancy to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) for a proper disposition. The designee will ensure that the SARB panel convenes monthly to review and take action upon student cases of irregular attendance, truancy, and behavioral issues. (EC 48262, 48263, 48290)

School attendance is a community concern, and the designee must collaborate with all appropriate agencies, including law enforcement agencies, as partners in the SARB process to meet the special needs of students with school attendance or school behavior problems. (EC 48262, 48263, 48291)

Definitions

Chronic absentee means a student who is absent for any reason on 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year, when the total number of days the student is absent is divided by the total number of days the student is enrolled and school was actually taught in the regular schools of the District, exclusive of Saturdays and Sundays. (Education Code 60901)

Truant means a student who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year, or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof. (Education Code 48260)

Habitual truant means a student who has been reported as a truant three or more times within the same school year, provided the District has made a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with the student and the student's parent/guardian after either of the two previous reports. (Education Code 48262, 48264.5)

Chronic truant means a student who has been absent from school without a valid excuse for 10 percent or more of the school days in one school year, from the date of enrollment to the current date, provided the District has met the requirements of Education Code 48260, 48260.5, 48261, 48262, 48263, and 48291. (Education Code 48263.6)

For purposes of classifying a student as a truant, a valid excuse includes, but is not limited to, the reasons for which a student shall be excused from school pursuant to Education Code 48205 and 48225.5, and Administrative Regulation 5113 - Verification of Student Absences.  A valid excuse may include other reasons that are within the discretion of school administrators and, based on the facts of the student's circumstances, are deemed to constitute a valid excuse. (Education Code 48260)

Duties of The District Attendance Designee

The designee shall have the following duties of monitoring attendance, developing strategies for truancy reduction, and coordinating the School Attendance Review Board:

Attendance Monitoring

1. Act as a resource to school or District staff regarding attendance issues, and provide training, as necessary, related to record keeping for student attendance, early identification of truancy, and data collection for truancy rates, graduation rates, and dropout rates.
2. Collect, analyze, and report truancy data, graduation-rate data, and dropout data as ongoing activities for appropriate school, District, and county personnel to inform decisions about site-level, District-level, and county-level attendance and behavior interventions.
3. Maintain data on the successful transfer of students from and to alternative school programs, charter schools, and other schools in the District or County.
4. Provide an opportunity for parents or guardians to challenge the accuracy of attendance records that could impact the determination of grades, CalWORKS benefits, or involuntary transfers (EC 49070).
5. For students in private schools, verify that the students’ private schools have filed Private School Affidavits with the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. If a complaint or referral has been submitted regarding the attendance of a minor in a school that has filed a Private School Affidavit, investigate the case by analyzing the student’s private school attendance register. If the private school attendance record is not available or does not show regular school attendance during the days that the private school is maintained during the year, the student shall be referred to the SARB to determine the disposition of the case. (EC 48290, 48222, 48223, 48290, 48291)

Addressing Chronic Absence

When a student is identified as a chronic absentee, the designee shall communicate with the student and the student's parents/guardians to determine the reason(s) for the excessive absences, ensure the student and parents/guardians are aware of the adverse consequences of poor attendance, and jointly develop a plan for improving the student's school attendance.

The student may be referred to a student success team or school-site attendance review team to assist in evaluating the student's needs and identifying strategies and programs to assist the student. When necessary, the student may be referred to a SARB program, a truancy mediation program established by the District Attorney or the probation officer, or a comparable program deemed acceptable by the designee, in accordance with Education Code 48263 and Item #3 in "Addressing Truancy" below.

A student who is struggling academically may be offered tutoring or other supplemental instruction, expanded learning opportunities, and/or alternative educational options as appropriate.

Students who are absent shall be given an opportunity to make up missed assignments or assessments and shall receive full credit for satisfactory completion of the work. Students with excessive absences shall be supported to the extent possible to limit the impact of absences on the student's grades.

Whenever chronic absenteeism is linked to a health, social-emotional, family, or other nonschool issue, the Superintendent or designee may recommend school or community resources and/or collaborate with community agencies and organizations to address the needs of the student and the student's family.

Addressing Truancy

The designee shall investigate a complaint from any person that a parent/guardian has violated the state compulsory education laws contained in Education Code 48200-48341. (Education Code 48290)

When a student has been identified as a truant as defined above, the following steps shall be implemented based on the number of truancies the student has committed:

1. Initial truancy
   a. The student shall be reported to the Superintendent, attendance supervisor, or designee (Education Code 48260)
   b. The student's parent/guardian shall be notified, by the most cost-effective method possible, which may include email or a telephone call, that: (Education Code 48260.5)
        i.  The student is truant
        ii.  The parent/guardian is obligated to compel the student to attend school
        iii. Alternative educational programs are available in the District
        iv. The parent/guardian has the right to meet with appropriate school personnel to discuss 
             solutions to the student's truancy
        v.  Mental health and supportive services may be available to the student and the family
        vi. School personnel are available to meet with the student and family to develop strategies 
             to support the student's attendance at school
        vii. Research shows that missing 10 percent of school for any reason can translate into 
              students having difficulty learning to read by third grade, achieving in middle school, and 
              graduating from high school
   c. The student may be required to attend makeup classes on one day of a weekend pursuant to Education Code 37223 (Education Code 48264.5)
   d. The student and, as appropriate, the student's parent/guardian may be requested to attend a meeting with a school counselor or other school designee to discuss the root causes of the attendance issue and develop a joint plan to improve the student's attendance (Education Code 48264.5)
   e. The designee may notify the District Attorney and/or probation officer of the student's name and the name and address of the student's parents/guardians (Education Code 48260.6)

2. Second truancy
   a. Any student who has once been reported as a truant shall again be reported to the Superintendent, attendance supervisor, or designee as a truant if the student is absent from school without a valid excuse one or more days or is tardy on one or more days during the school year (Education Code 48261)
   b. The student may be required to attend makeup classes on one day of a weekend pursuant to Education Code 37223 (Education Code 48264.5)
   c. The student may be assigned to an after-school or weekend study program within the county and, if the student fails to successfully complete this study program, the student shall be subject to Item #3 below (Education Code 48264.5)
   d. An appropriate District staff member shall make a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with the student and the student's parent/guardian by communicating with the parent/guardian at least once using the most cost-effective method possible, which may include email or a telephone call (Education Code 48262)
   e. The student may be given a written warning by a peace officer. A record of that warning may be kept at the school for not less than two years or until the student graduates or transfers from the school. If the student transfers, the record may be forwarded to the new school. (Education Code 48264.5)
   f. The designee may notify the District Attorney and/or probation officer when the student continues to be classified as a truant after the parents/guardians have been notified in accordance with Item #1b above (Education Code 48260.6)

3. Third truancy (habitual truancy)
   a. A student who is habitually truant, a chronic absentee, or habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school may be referred to, and required to attend, a SARB program, a truancy mediation program established by the District Attorney or the probation officer, or a comparable program deemed acceptable by the Superintendent or designee (Education Code 48263, 48264.5)
   b. Upon making a referral to the SARB or the probation department, the designee shall provide the student, the student's parent/guardian, and SARB or probation department with documentation of the interventions provided at the school. Additionally, the designee shall provide the student and the student's parent/guardian, in writing, the name and address of the SARB or probation department and the reason for the referral. This notice shall indicate that the student and the student's parent/guardian shall be required, along with the District staff person making the referral, to meet with the SARB or a probation officer to consider a proper disposition of the referral. (Education Code 48263)
   c. If the student does not successfully complete the truancy mediation program or other similar program, the student shall be subject to Item #4 below (Education Code 48264.5)
   d. If the designee determines that available community services cannot resolve the problem of the truant or insubordinate student or if the student and/or the student's parents/guardians have failed to respond to the directives of the District or to services provided, the Superintendent or designee may so notify the District Attorney and/or the probation officer (Education Code 48263)

4. Fourth truancy
   a. Upon the fourth truancy within the same school year, the student may be referred to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court (Education Code 48264.5; Welfare and Institutions Code 601)
   b. If a student has been adjudged by the county juvenile court to be a habitual truant, the Superintendent or designee shall notify the juvenile court and the student's probation officer whenever the student is truant or tardy on one or more days without a valid excuse in the same or succeeding school year, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly at school. The juvenile court and probation officer shall be notified within 10 days of the violation.(Education Code 48267)

Attendance Recovery Program 

Beginning July 1, 2025, the District may implement an attendance recovery program for students to make up a maximum of 10 days of attendance for lost instructional time and offset absences incurred during the school year. Any student participating in the program shall not be credited with more than five days of attendance per school week or more than one day of attendance for any calendar day of participation in the program. (Education Code 46211)

The District's program may be operated before or after school, on weekends, or during intersessional periods. The District shall offer access to an attendance recovery program throughout the school year, including, at least once during each term. (Education Code 46211)

The program shall be provided only as a limited-term option for a classroom-based, regular educational program. Students otherwise enrolled in a nonclassroom-based program, such as independent study, shall not participate in an attendance recovery program. (Education Code 46211)

A student shall not be required to participate in the program. Students concurrently participating in both an attendance recovery program and an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) pursuant to Education Code 46120, shall retain the ability to participate in the entirety of the ELOP's offerings for the duration of the school year. (Education Code 46211)

The District's attendance recovery program shall be composed of students engaged in educational activities and content aligned to grade level standards that are substantially equivalent to the students' regular instructional program, which may include one-on-one or small group tutoring, and shall be under the immediate supervision and control of a certificated teacher who is also an employee of the District and who possesses a valid certification document. (Education Code 46211)

The District's attendance recovery program shall not exceed a student-to-certificated teacher ratio of 10 to 1 for TK and kindergarten or 20 to 1 for grades 1 to 12. The District shall maintain documentation demonstrating how the attendance recovery program met these applicable ratios. (Education Code 46211). Additionally, in regard to the District's attendance recovery program, the Superintendent or designee shall maintain documentation demonstrating how the attendance recovery program met the student-to-teacher ratios specified in Education Code 46211.

SARB Responsibilities for Dropout Prevention

1. Review the school attendance record and other documentation to determine the adequacy of all cases referred to the SARB and to determine if special arrangements or experts will be needed for the meeting. If the case warrants the resources of the SARB panel, schedule a SARB meeting with the parent and the family. If the referral contains inadequate information or if appropriate school-level intervention has not been attempted, remand the case to the school for further work.
2. Ensure that SARB meetings maintain high expectations for all students, and ensure that families and youth are involved in selecting resources and services.
3. Refer students with attendance or behavior problems that cannot be resolved by the SARB to the appropriate agency, including law enforcement agencies when necessary. Also, refer parents or guardians who continually and willfully fail to respond to SARB directives or services provided to the appropriate agencies, including law enforcement agencies. (EC 48290)
4. Develop and submit follow-up reports to the SARB on all directives and agreements made at the SARB meetings, especially student agreements to attend school or improve school behavior.
5. Collect data and report outcomes on SARB referrals as needed for the annual report to the County Superintendent of Schools, with copies forwarded to the District Superintendent and the Board. (EC 48273)

Legal References: 

EDUCATION CODE
46010-46015  Absences
46211  Attendance Recovery Programs 
48200-48341  Compulsory Education Laws
60901  California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System 

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE 
601  Wards of the Juvenile Court

See also: 
Board Policy 5113: Verification of Student Absences
Board Policy 5120: Involuntary Student Transfers

Revised: January 27, 2026