Attendance

California law requires all children ages 6-18 to attend school full-time. Parents are legally responsible for their child’s attendance at school during the entire school year. Parents of truant students may be held civilly and criminally accountable for their child’s truancy. If you are absent, please have a parent/guardian call the Attendance Assistant immediately at (510) 644-6260 or email longfellowattendance@berkeley.net or send a note stating the following:

Student’s name
Date(s) absent
Reason for absence
Grade/teacher
Your name and your relation to child
Daytime phone number

Verifying Absences

The note or call must be submitted upon return to school or within three (3) days of return. After an absence, the students must report to the office before class. Schools must keep records using Re-Admit Slips upon a student's return to school. Students will give the re-admit slip to the teacher(s) to indicate that they reported to the office after an absence and before entering class.

Excused Absences

The District is required to keep accurate records of student attendance and reasons for absences. Per Education Code 48205, excused absences include absences due to:

Illness
Medical Appointments
Funeral services for a member of the immediate family
Jury Duty
Time with a member of the immediate family who is on active duty,
Justifiable personal reasons upon written request by the parent/guardian and approval of the principal. Absences for justifiable personal reasons may include but are not limited to, religious holidays and attendance at religious retreats (four hours per semester maximum).
The District discourages families from taking vacations at times that cause students to be absent from school and will not approve independent study for purposes of vacations or other family trips that are not urgent.

What is NOT an excusable absence?

Vacation
Family emergencies that do not include the elements list above
Any other message to the attendance office that does not clearly give a reason listed above

Excessive Absences Due to Illness

When a student has had excessive absences due to illness, the parent/guardian may be required to have a physician verify subsequent absences. Unexcused absences may affect a student’s academic standing. Please contact your teachers If you know you will be absent for a longer period of time and need missing assignments.

Dismissal Due to Illness

A child may be sent home early from school if s/he is ill or appears to be suffering from an infectious or contagious disease. Parents/guardians or emergency contacts listed will be contacted to pick up the child.

Truancy

State law requires that a child between the ages of 6 and 18 attend school. Under Education Code 48260, any student subject 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, is a truant and shall be reported to the District’s attendance supervisor.

Habitual Truant: A student is deemed a habitual truant if s/he is reported as a truant three or more times per school year.

School Attendance Review Board (SARB): Any student deemed a habitual truant shall be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB). The SARB aims to work collaboratively with the students and their families and explore and utilize suggested interventions that will be successful for the pupil involved. Should SARB determine that its intervention services are insufficient or inappropriate to correct the truancy, or the pupil does not follow SARB’s directions, a referral may be submitted to the district attorney or county probation office.

Longfellow Attendance Expectations

Daily attendance and arriving at class on time are essential to student success.

Longfellow is a closed campus. We expect all students to:

Arrive at school before the bell.
Be in your seat or class line by the bell rings for each class period.
Have any required materials or supplies with you before the bell rings.
Understand that tardies impact grades and chances for Longfellow incentives.
Please do your best to schedule any appointments after the school day is over.

Arrival

First period starts at 8:51 am, and the warning bell rings at 8:47 am.
Students attending Zero Period should not be on campus before 7:45 am.
Students NOT attending Zero Period should not be on campus before 8:30 am.
Students should report directly to class.
We ask that students enter class quietly and start the Silent Daily 5.
Students that are tardy should stop at the main office to sign in upon arrival.

Dismissal

The teacher is the person that dismisses class; even if the bell rings, students must wait for the teacher's permission to exit. Once dismissed, students who do not attend after-school programs must leave campus immediately.

Cutting Class

If a student is out of class without permission or supervision, the teacher will issue an office referral for that class period. The student must call a parent with an administrator, school safety officer, or counselor before the day ends. Alternative consequences follow for those unable to be in class or designated supervised space. Continued violations may result in detention, office referral, loss of privileges, exclusion from school-wide events, etc.

Excessive Tardies

A student is considered tardy when they arrive to class the first 29 minutes after the bell has rung. Students who arrive late to first period, must report to the main office to receive a tardy slip before entering the classroom. If a student is tardy to class 20% or more in a given week, they may be required to attend weekly tardy detention. Students that attend tardy detention repeatedly, may be subjected to further consequences in an attempt to improve student attendance.