Regular school attendance plays an important role in student learning. Every student should be in school every day unless he/she has an excused absence. Excused absences include illness, medical appointments and funeral services for members of the immediate family.
Each time a student is absent, the parent/guardian must clear the absence by note, in person or by telephone in a timely manner. (Within 72 hours of the student’s return to school is suggested.) Absences that are not properly cleared may be considered truant absences. Excessive truant absences may result in a student being removed from VHS and placed in an alternative educational setting.
Students may turn in notes before school, during lunch or after school. Please be specific enough with your note so that we can determine whether or not the absence is excused.
Absences may be cleared in person or by phone (707 453-6000) during regular school hours (7:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.).
A doctor’s note may be required if a student is absent for more than five consecutive days. After ten total days of excused absence during a school year, medical verification may be required for all future absences.
VUSD Administrative Regulation 5113 outlines the reasons an student’s absence may be excused.
Students who need to be excused from school early, must obtain an off-grounds pass. Parents should send a note stating the date, time and reason for the student leaving campus. Students are to bring the note to the front office before school or during lunch to receive the off-grounds pass.
Tardy Policy
Philosophy – Academic success is directly correlated to attendance and tardies. Administrators, teachers, counselors, campus supervisors, students and parents must work together to make sure students are present and on time to each class of the day. There must be consequences for tardies, and there must also be a strong effort by each person in our community to help students get to class on time.
Students who are not inside their classroom before the final bell rings will be marked tardy. Tardies can only be excused for the same legal reasons allowed for excused absences.
Tardy = Lunch Detention
Students who are tardy to class are assigned a 15-minute lunch detention. Upon late arrival to class, the teacher gives each tardy student a reminder slip for lunch detention. Students will serve lunch detention during the first lunch period following the tardy, so:
- Students tardy to periods 1-4 will serve lunch detention on the same day.
- Students tardy to periods 5 & 6 will serve lunch detention on the following school day.
Detention takes place in room 6 and begins promptly five minutes after the lunch bell rings (12:34 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and at 12:31 on Wednesdays). The doors to room 6 will be locked at that time.
Students who fail to serve a lunch detention will be picked up for a 30 minute after school detention the next day. Students who cut classes to avoid consequences such as after school detention will be assigned Saturday School or alternative discipline such as social probation.
Every time a student accumulates 20 tardies within a semester, a “tardy letter” will be mailed home to the parents and the student will be assigned a Saturday School.