Attendance
If a student is absent one or more days, the student must clear the absence in one of the following ways:
1. It is highly recommended that parents call the school the same day of the absence. The parent/guardian
should call in every day of a student’s absence. If possible, please provide the student’s 6-digit ID number.
A note is required when a student returns to school if the parent/guardian has not called in.
2. If a student returns to school after an absence and the parent did not call in the previous day, he/she must
report to the attendance office with a note prior to the start of the school day or they may be marked tardy
to first period and may be subject to a teacher detention.
3. If the student does not have a verified excuse, either a call by a parent or a written excuse signed by a
parent, the student may be issued a temporary truancy. The student will have 48 hours to clear the
temporary truancy before it becomes a permanent truancy.
Excused absences will be issued for the following reasons:
1. Legal matters, medical visits, medical illness, or religious business, all of which must be accompanied by
proper documentation
2. Death in the immediate family
3. Illness
AUTOMATED PHONE CALL
An automated phone call will go out daily whenever a student is marked absent two or more periods. It is the
responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensure absences are cleared. Parent/guardians are able to check
attendance through the Aeries System.
EXCESSIVE EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES
When a student accumulates absences the following interventions will take place:
Absences 1-7 Parent contact
Absences 8-9 Excessive excused notification to parent by mail
Absences 10-14 Parent invitation to Student Attendance Review Team (S.A.R.T.)
Absences 15-19 Parent invitation to District Attendance Review Team (D.A.R.T.)
Absence 20 Truancy intervention process initiated by the Student Services Office and all future
Students planning to be absent for more than five consecutive days, should notify their counselor to initiate the
short-term independent study process.
documentation in relation to legal matters (court documentation), religious business (official letter from religious
institution), medical visit (doctor office note), medical illness (doctor note).
Any student not in class on time may be subject to the following:
- Tardies 1-5
Teacher assigned detention
- Tardies 6-7 Referral to Attendance Director
Detention
Saturday School
- Tardy 8 Referral to Attendance Director
Intervention Room 1 day
Parent conference
Behavior Contract
- Tardy 9
Intervention Room 1-2 days
Loss of student privileges
Any student who is absent from school or tardy to any class in excess of 30 minutes without a valid excuse is
considered truant and will be subject to the following:
- Incidents 1-4
Saturday School
- Incidents 5-6
Saturday School
Parent invitation to S.A.R.T. meeting
- Incident 7
Saturday School
Parent invitation to D.A.R.T. meeting
Loss of student privileges
- Incident 8
Saturday School
Parent invitation to District Attorney meeting
- Incident 9
Saturday School
Parent invitation to S.A.R.B. meeting
- Incident 10
Saturday School
Student file forwarded to probation
The school offers many opportunities and privileges for all students to enjoy. It is important to note that these are
privileges that can be revoked if acceptable behavior is not maintained. Students who owe 8 hours or more of
detention or Saturday School will be placed on the Hold List. While on the Hold List, students may lose the
following privileges:
● All school dances
● Approval for a guest pass to attend another school’s dance
● Student parking pass
● Field trips
● Work permit
● Off campus lunch pass (seniors only)
● Senior activities week events (seniors only)
● Graduation ceremony (seniors only)
● Other events at the discretion of the Assistant Principal
Students’ privileges will be reinstated once all hours have been served. Students who continue to not serve hours
after losing privileges are subject to the Intervention Room, Alternatives to Suspension, school suspension, and
behavior contract. It is our hope that students will make good choices and be able to participate in all the school
has to offer.
OFF-CAMPUS PASS
For a student to leave the campus while school is in session, the student must have an Off-Campus Pass. The
student will need to present that Off-Campus Pass when they return from the absence. For planned absences,
the student must have a note signed by a parent. In the event of a personal or family emergency, the counseling
campus. Please remember that phone calls for parent pick-up may delay the release of the student due to
unforeseen circumstances. If the student leaves without an Off-Campus Pass, the student will be truant and will
not be allowed to clear the truancy. Off-Campus Passes will be issued (except for emergency reasons) before
school, during break, and at lunch from the Attendance Office.
Students assigned to Saturday School must bring classroom assignments, paper, writing assignments, and be
prepared to study for 4 hours. Students who arrive tardy or are unprepared will be dismissed and assigned an
additional day(s) of Saturday School. Students may not leave their seats unless directed by the supervisor. The
Saturday School supervisor will provide nutrition breaks. The cafeteria will be open during the break for students
to receive or purchase snacks.
All school rules and regulations apply while in the Saturday School program. Undesirable or disruptive conduct
and lack of work or effort, as judged by the supervisor, will result in removal from the Saturday School program.
Removal from or failure to report to the Saturday School program may result in being placed on the Hold List,
Intervention Room, Alternative to Suspension, or School Suspension.
VHS Student Detention System
- Philosophy of detention
- Why a detention is assigned (tardy, attendance or behavior).
- Teacher assigned detention vs office assigned detention
- Notification process (how the student is notified, how the parent is notified)
- Where and when detentions are served.
- Alternatives to the after-school detention.
- Expected behavior at detention/rules.
- Consequences for missing detention.
- Contact number for questions or concerns
Our Mission Statement calls for us to hold every student to high expectations in a nurturing environment to ensure success now and in the future. Part of that success includes learning to be punctual and to participate respectfully in the classroom and on campus.
Detentions are assigned for a variety of reasons including tardies, behavior or truancy. Any teacher, staff or administrator can assign a student a detention. The goal is to correct the behavior and have students learn from their mistakes to ensure they are on a path to success now and in the future.
A teacher may assign a Teacher detention that he/she will schedule with the student which is to be completed with the teacher.
After school detentions are completed in room 1114 Monday- Thursday from 3pm - 3:45pm. Students are given a detention slip with the date of the assigned detention along with a reason as to why they received it. The Attendance Office will send a printed reminder to the student that they need to report to detention. Parents will be notified through an automated phone call as to the day their student is assigned an after school detention.
Students are encouraged to bring any school work to detention and utilize their time in an efficient manner. All school rules still apply while a student is serving a detention. If transportation is a concern, there is a late bus pick up at 4:45pm Monday through Thursday at the Alta Vista gate next to Kraemer, for those who have a PYLUSD bus pass.
If a student does not complete his/her assigned detention he/she will be reassigned to the following day. If the student continually does not complete an assigned detention, he/she will be assigned a Saturday School or assigned to the Intervention Classroom (periods 1-4).
If a student needs to serve a detention at a different time, he/she can meet with the attendance director (Mr. Garcia) to discuss alternatives.
If you have a question or concern, feel free to contact the Attendance Office. (714) 996-4970 Ext. 10031.