It takes an average of three days for a student to catch up for each day of school missed.

August 2019

Dear Parents/Guardians:

Please continue to support your children by encouraging positive attendance. The BUSD goal for all students is to maintain a Proficient/Advanced attendance rate of 96% or higher throughout the entire school year. This means having no more than 7 total absences during the school year and, if your child should be absent from school, it is imperative that you call the school and write a note within 3 days explaining the reason for the absence (EC 48260.5).

Every student is expected to attend school on a daily basis, unless there is valid justification for his/her absence (EC 48260). We would like to remind you of our attendance policy and state laws regarding attendance.

According to the California Education Code, students may be excused from school when the absence is due to:

• Illness
• Quarantine
• Medical, dental, optometric or chiropractic services.
• Attending the funeral of an immediate family member e.g., mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, sister, or any relative living in the immediate household of the student (one day within the state, three days outside the state)

Any absence for any reason other than those stated above will be marked unexcused and may result in your child being classified as truant or chronically absent. Truancy means a student is absent or tardy more than a 30 minute period three times during the school year. Chronic absenteeism is defined when a student is absent for 10% or more of the school year. We are dedicated to supporting students who may be truant or chronically absent, so please contact us if you need assistance.

We also want to remind you that vacations or visits to other states and countries during the school year are not excused. While we understand the educational benefit of travel, we encourage you to plan ahead and schedule travel during holidays or summer. Winter break begins after school on Friday, December 20, and students return to school on Monday, January 6. The Instructional Calendars can be found at www.burbankusd.org. Support your child's academic growth by ensuring he/she is in school every day and on time. If you have any questions, please call the Student Services at (818) 729-4467.

Sincerely,

Stacy Cashman, Director
BUSD Student Services

It is a parent/guardian’s responsibility to report their student’s absence within 3 days of the absence. You may call the office, send a note with your student or report absence by using the JBHS app.

When a student has had 14 absences in the school year for illness verified by the methods listed above, ANY FURTHER ABSENCES FOR ILLNESS MUST BE VERIFIED BY PHYSICIAN.

• Excused absences include:  illness, doctor’s appointment, court or other government appointment, or to attend the funeral of an immediate family member (mother/father/sibling/grandparent).
• You must bring a note to the Attendance Office to excuse your absences within 3 days of being absent from school.
• Vacations are NOT excused absences.
• Vehicle trouble is NOT an excused tardy or absence.
• Teachers are NOT required to give homework or classwork for unexcused absences.

• Seniors and Juniors who have three (3) unexcused absences to any ONE class OR ten (10) or more excused or unexcused absences altogether, will lose their lunch pass privilege until having demonstrated 10 weeks of positive attendance.

Each teacher determines what is tardy to class but students are expected to be inside of the room when the bell rings. 

• Students who are late to any class more than four (4) or more times will receive consequences. Excessive tardies may result in loss of the privilege to attend pep rallies, music assemblies, grade level picnics, etc.
• Juniors and Seniors who have six (6) tardies to any one class or ten (10) or more total tardies to all classes will lose their lunch pass until having demonstrated 5 weeks of attendance with no tardies.

Disciplinary Actions for Tardies

If a student arrives late to school, the student should bring a note from their parent/guardian/medical office to the attendance office BEFORE going to class.

Students are excused for medical (doctor, orthodontic, chiropractic, dental, etc.), passport, court, DMV appointments, or if they are feeling sick in the morning. Tardiness due to car problems, personal business, and family emergencies are NOT excused.

Click here for Picking up students EARLY

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• Leaving school without permission is treated as a truancy and the consequences are the same. Notes from the parent after the fact are invalid and will not be honored.
• When picking your student up early from school for any reason, please send a note with your student in the morning and have them bring it into the main office before school starts. A parent/guardian’s signature is required; therefore, phone calls are not accepted.
• In the event that your child becomes ill and calls or texts you, please direct them to the nurse’s office. From there, you will be called to pick up your child if necessary.
• You will be unable to pick up your child during lunch or 15 minutes prior to the end of any school day unless a note has been submitted that morning.
• Please be advised that emergency contacts ARE NOT AUTHORIZED to pick up students early.
• If your student has a lunch pass (11^th and 12^th graders only) they are excused for lunch only. If they have a medical appointment during lunchtime, they MUST obtain an off-schedule from the office PRIOR to leaving campus.
• If your student should become ill during lunch and is on campus, they should proceed to the nurse’s office. If they are already home and become ill, the parent must call the attendance office and report it immediately, the same day, or else it will not be excused.
• A lunch pass does not excuse a student beyond the lunch period.

Unless you have given us prior notification, you will be unable to pick up your child between the hours of:       

12:31PM - 12:56PM Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Students will be in their (AE) Academic Excellence class and we will not be able to retrieve them.

Frequently Asked Questions in the Attendance office 

Q:  What do I do when my student is absent? 
A:  There are 3 ways to report an absence.  #1: Call the attendance office at the numbers listed above.  #2: Email the attendance office at the addresses listed above.  #3: Use the JBHS app for reporting a FULL DAY absence only.  (The JBHS app can be downloaded for free on all iOS and Android devices by simply searching John Burroughs High School wherever you download apps.)
   *When reporting an absence, please provide the student's full name, student ID number, and the date of absence.
   **To clear an absence, please submit the necessary documentation within three days. 

Q:  If I call the office to report an absence do I still need to send a note?
A:  No.

Q: How can I request homework when my son/daughter is absent?
A:  You may request homework on the third day of your student’s absence from the Counseling Office.  818-729-6900 Ext. 61941 or Ext. 61942

Q:  When do I need to send a doctor’s note?
A:  If your child will need a PE excuse you will need a doctor’s note.  Also, if your child has exceeded 14 days of absences due to illness for the school year you will need a doctor’s note for each additional day your student is out.
 

Q:  If my child will be leaving school early, what do I need to do? 
A:  Please send a note with your student to the attendance office in the morning before school.  Your student will exchange this note for an “off schedule" pass so they can wait for you at the front door of school.  THIS CANNOT BE DONE OVER THE PHONE.  The student must then return to the attendance office and time-stamp this "off schedule" pass if returning the same day, or they must time-stamp it and turn it in on the day they return to school.  EMERGENCY CONTACTS ARE NOT USED FOR THIS PURPOSE.

Q:  What do I do if my child has a last minute appointment?
A:  You must come into the front office, with your picture ID.  We will then send for your student to meet you in the office.