Attendance

• Attendance Law — Charter Schools and District of Residence (Google folder)
• Attendance Talking Points — English (Google folder)
• Attendance Talking Points — Spanish (Google folder)
• Attendance Works
• Attorney General's Truancy Toolkit
• Brown Act — Open Meeting Law (Google folder)
• Chronic Absence / Truancy Letter Samples (Google folder)
• Chronic Illness Verification (Google folder)
• Health and Attendance (Google Folder)
• Home Visit Doorhangers (Google folder)
• Marquee Messages (Google Folder)
• School Attendance Review Board (SARB) Manual (PDF)
• Student Attendance Review Team (SART) Resources (Google folder)
• Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) Resources (Google folder)
• Tiered Approach Strategies
• Tribal TANF (Google folder)

Annual Parent Notification 2024-25 (last updated 3/15/2024)

The following documents are provided to assist school districts and charter school in preparing their annual parent notifications.

NEW English Annual Notification Template 2024-25

NEW Spanish Annual Notification Template 2024-25

For each notification provided in this document there are 6 sections:

• Reference Lists the applicable state and/or federal law, which can be added to the notification.
  • BP/AR: Lists the applicable board policy and administrative regulation using the numbering system and titles from the California School Board Association (CSBA) templates. The BP/AR number (not the title) can also be added to the notification. For LEAs that do not use CSBA services, make sure to amend the numbering system, as appropriate.
  • Details: Provides the statutory language that either mandates or recommends the notification. Do not include this in the notification.
  • Additional Notes: Provides additional information to consider; in particular, applicability of grade spans and other notification requirements. Any notification that is optional will also be indicated here. Do not include these notes in the notification.
  • Sample Language: Indicates applicability of LEA type and provides language that can be used. This is the language that will be translated.
  • Applicability: If no sample language is provided, it simply indicates the applicability of LEA type.

Review each sample language and make the necessary adjustments to align with the LEA’s policy, procedures, and practices, where appropriate.

The language bolded and in red font indicates that the LEA may need to change the wording (e.g., name of the LEA, type of LEA, title of the governing board)

The language bolded and in red font within brackets indicates language will need to be added (e.g., contact information, LEA-specific procedures) or removed (e.g., not applicable to the grade span served), as appropriate.

The Posting section (final two pages) is for your reference only and should not be included in the notification.

The 2024-2025 Annual Notification Template format is NEW this year.

The sections that include new or modified information due to legislative changes in 2024 are the following:

• HPV Immunization
• Dangers of Synthetic Drugs
• College Admission Requirements
• High School Graduation Requirements
• Rights of Foster Youth
• Rights of Homeless Youth
• Uniform Complaint Procedures
• Williams Complaint
• Excused Absences
• Grounds for Suspension and Expulsion

Annual Parent Notification 2023-24 (last updated 4/14/2023)

The following documents are provided to assist school districts and charter school in preparing their annual parent notifications.

• The Redline Version of the Annual Notification Template is provided to help identify changes to last year’s version of the template.
• The Annual Notification Templates in English and Spanish must be updated with information specific to the district or charter school.

Summary of the changes in the 2023-24 Template

• Page iv — Added to the Table of Contents EC 35292.6 Menstrual Equity for All Act (not required)

• Page 34 — Excused Absences — Added language to match EC 48205

• Page 34 — Truancy — Added language according to 48264.5 that the warning must be written
• Page 41 — Directory Information — Added photographs and video as permissible to be added to the district definition of directory information
• Page 57 — Menstrual Equity for All Act — Added language from EC 35292.6 (not required)
• Page 61 — Added the Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (not required) Recommended by the U.S. Department of Education’s Privacy Policy Office
• Page 70 — Added the Notification of the California Law Regarding Safe Storage of Firearms (required by AB 452 and SB 906)

Interdistrict Attendance Application

• Interdistrict Attendance Application — Form 341 (PDF)
• Solicitud de Permiso para Asistencia Interdistrital — Forma 341 (PDF)

Interdistrict Attendance Agreement Form

• Form 343 (PDF)

Interdistrict Transfer Appeal Materials and Links

• Instructions for Requesting an Interdistrict Transfer Appeal
• Request for Hearing, Appeal of Interdistrict Attendance Denial (BP 5117 Exhibit 1)
• San Diego County Board of Education Policy 5117 on Interdistrict Attendance Appeals
• The laws on interdistrict transfer are described in Education Code sections 46600 – 46610

Open Enrollment Act

Information on the Open Enrollment Act, which allows students the option to enroll in a different school with a higher Academic Performance Index than the pupil's school of residence, can be found on the California Department of Education website.

School Attendance Review Board (SARB)

• Form 467 = SARB Summary of Parent/Pupil Conference and Agreement (.docx)
• Form 467 Spanish = SARB Summary of Parent/Pupil Conference and Agreement (.docx)

Severance of Attendance / Denial of Admission for Children with Special Needs

California Education Code 48202 and 48203 require all district, charter, and private schools to report to the county superintendent, severance of attendance and denials of admission, for students who are qualified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and are subject to compulsory education laws of California. Our county procedure requires reporting by the 10th of each month. Download the EC 48202 and 48203 Report Form (.docx) to view a complete description of the required reporting elements, procedures, and forms.

Suspected Child Abuse Report

• Mandated Child Abuse Reporter Form 8572 (PDF)

The San Diego County Office of Education helps districts know what’s working, make informed decisions using evidence, drive real and sustained improvement, and communicate the results and learning to all involved.

SD9UP Network

The San Diego County 9th Grade On-Track Network (SD9UP) supports 9th grade students to stay on track for important college and career outcomes. The network specifically targets students who have the greatest probability of getting off track during their 9th grade year.

SD9UP combines subject matter experts in student attendance with improvement advisors and connects them with practitioners who can test and implement changes on the front lines. School teams of three to five people commit to a 10-month program, participating in a kickoff webinar and attending three face-to-face learning sessions (LS) to learn about issues affecting chronic absenteeism and proven attendance strategies. Teams then adapt and test out these strategies at their sites during three action periods (AP).

The most beneficial place for children to be is in school and daily, on-time school attendance has a powerful impact on a child’s learning and success.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and added to the challenges students face to attend school. It’s important that districts and schools recognize the difficulties students and their families face and continue building systems that support their well-being and provide the resources they need.  

The greatest gains for students come when systems are in place to recognize and respond to individual needs before negative attendance patterns can become entrenched. When children become truly disconnected, re-establishing positive school attendance requires a relationship and resource-intensive approach that involves building trust and adopting a stance of unconditional positive regard, persistence over long periods of time, and patience.

In alignment with this approach, the state and County of San Diego have shifted away from law enforcement responses to attendance concerns in favor of reforms intended to identify and support specific student needs through the use of a multi-tiered system of support. In San Diego County, our juvenile court system (including the district attorney and probation department) are no longer involved in enforcing or mediating referrals for truancy. Last year, the District Attorney’s Office launched a community-based approach to providing assessment and services to families based on the existing County of San Diego Multi-disciplinary CAT programs that exist throughout the county. The program is detailed in this letter from DA Stephan. 

SDCOE has compiled resources and supports on changing systems and increasing student engagement, as well as a list of recommendations for district/schools to consider when developing their responses to chronic absenteeism and truancy.

Recommendations to Consider

1. Study your data. Convene a team with the goal of understanding your school’s attendance trends for truancy, chronic absenteeism, and period/partial day absences. Begin by brainstorming questions. Here are some example questions:

• How many students are experiencing this problem?
  • What does the frequency distribution look like:
    • By day of the week, or time of day?
    • By month?
    • By grade?
    • For students who are historically underserved (race and ethnicity) and those with specific challenges (students who are supported by IEPs, English learners, in foster care, or experiencing homelessness)?
      • What can we see from multi-year patterns?

2.  Create SMART goals for each to improve attendance rates by reducing truancy, chronic absenteeism, and period/partial day absences, with special concern for special populations.

3.  Create a tiered prevention/intervention plan. When developing strategies to achieve your goals be sure to include:

• Universal prevention strategies designed to ensure that all students have positive and meaningful relationships with staff and students.
• Predetermined thresholds that trigger predetermined targeted intervention responses.
• Intensive intervention measures that utilize internal and community resources to address the individuals needs of the student and their family.
  • The County of San Diego’s Community Assessment Teams can assist students and families with this level of need. 

4.  Monitor absences. Implement systems to monitor attendance in real time. If frequent monitoring will delay your response and, in many cases, allow negative attendance patterns to become entrenched.

• Many student information systems include attendance dashboard features
• At a minimum, weekly monitoring should be used to identify students in need of support, and to adjust support plans as needed.

5.  Adopt a restorative framework. Moving from disconnection to engagement frequently involves overcoming feelings of resentment, hopelessness, and resistance. Incorporating practices that communicate safety, openness, and unconditional positive regard can set the stage for developing a productive alliance. Checkout the resources in this Google folder for ideas.

6.  Assign case managers. Children who have attendance problems are adept at making themselves invisible, and are frequently elusive. If no one is responsible to seek them out on a regular basis, they’ll stay invisible. Use case managers to monitor improvement and to create meaningful relationships that can lead to greater engagement.

7.  Work and refine your system. Define in advance the data you will collect to measure the success of the strategies you implement. Stick with strategies long enough to know if they’re creating change, and refine your strategies based on your data.