Attendance Policy

Leaving Campus Early

Students must remain on campus unless signed out through the Attendance Office or Health Office by a parent or guardian with a valid excuse. All parents or guardians MUST present a valid picture ID and be listed in our computer system as a legal parent or guardian to check out a student. 

Emergency Contacts

Any individuals listed as emergency contacts will not have permission to remove students from school for any reason without prior consent from a parent or legal guardian. The parent or legal guardian must approve the release of the student to the emergency contact. If you are sending someone in your place to pick up your student during school hours, please take the following steps to avoid delays:  

• Contact the attendance office in advance to inform them of the appointment and the person authorized to pick up your student. Be sure to speak to someone personally; do not leave a message, it may not be received in time.  

• If communication is not done in person but rather by phone, the school office will call you back using the contact information provided in the student information system to verify it was you who called.  

• Please ensure the person you send has a valid identification card.  

Students will not be checked out after 3:00 p.m. If a student needs to be picked up early, arrangements must be made before 3:00 p.m. (on Wednesdays, before 1:30 p.m.)

SOAR (Student Opportunity for Attendance Recovery) Saturday School

Students may make up one full day of absence (excused or unexcused) by attending Saturday School, where they can recover missed instructional time and receive academic support.

Saturday School runs from 7:45 AM–12:00 PM in the MPR and includes academic help, fun workshops, and the opportunity to earn PAW Points. Breakfast is served from 7:30–7:45 AM. Don’t forget your laptop!

 25-26 SOAR Flyer | PDF

There are multiple ways to sign up:

• Using ParentSquare
• At the Attendance Office
• In the Library
• Scan the QR code on the Flyer

• Duration: Maximum of 15 cumulative school days per academic year.
• Purpose: Family vacations or emergencies (not medical-related).
• Restrictions:
  • Cannot be used while awaiting Home and Hospital Instruction.
  • Not a substitute for disciplinary actions.
• Eligibility: Requires acceptable attendance, grades, behavior, and administrator approval.
• Process: Must be requested by the parent/guardian and coordinated through the school’s Attendance Clerk.

Please provide the school with a 5-day advance notice when requesting Independent Study.

At Henry J. Kaiser High School punctuality is essential for academic success and maximizing instructional time. 

• 5 Tardies- Lunch Detention
• 10 Tardies- Campus Beautification
• 15 Tardies- Lunch Detention and Campus Beautification
• 20 Tardies- Saturday School
• 25 Tardies- Administrative Options
• Additional Tardies- Refer to Administrator

Tardy Sweeps 

Tardy sweeps will be conducted throughout the school year. Students caught in a tardy sweep will receive a disciplinary consequence.

Tardy Sweep Consequences

• 1^st Sweep – Warming and parent notification
• 2^nd & 3^rd Sweep – Lunch Reflection
• 4^th & 5^th Sweep – Campus Beautification
• 6^th Sweep – Administrative conference and parent meeting

To promote punctuality and ensure students are prepared for learning at the start of the school day, students are expected to arrive on campus and be in class before the first-period bell at 8:30 a.m.

Students who arrive on campus after the 8:30 a.m. tardy bell with outside food or beverages will have those items confiscated and discarded upon entry to campus. Students may not bring outside food or beverages into classrooms after the tardy bell.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to ensure students arrive on time so they have adequate opportunity to finish breakfast and report to class prepared to learn. Students who arrive late due to verified school-related transportation issues or other approved circumstances may be addressed on a case-by-case basis by administration.

First Period Tardy Consequences

• 5 tardies – Warning and parent notification
• 10 tardies – Parent notification and campus beautification
• 15 tardies – Counselor referral and campus beautification
• 20 tardies – Administrative conference, campus beautification and attendance contract

Education Code Section 48260 states that: “Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse more than 3 full days in one school year, or tardy or absent more than any 30 minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in 1 school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant and shall be reported to the attendance supervisor or to the superintendent of the school district.”

Students with excessive absences, truancies, or disciplinary referrals for attendance may be prohibited from participating in any and/or all school extracurricular activities, including but not limited to dances and field trips.

Parents or guardians of any student deemed a habitual truant will receive written notification about the School Attendance Review Team (SART) process.  The SART process reviews each student’s attendance and academic performance to identify any support or interventions that may be needed.

If attendance does not improve, the case may be referred to the District’s Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), which includes representatives from the school, district, and community agencies. Parents and students may face fines or other legal consequences.

• SART (School Attendance Review Team). At the SART meeting, school staff and administrator will collaborate with the parent to identify the barriers to attendance and sign a SART agreement. This agreement will outline attendance expectations, responses for continued non-compliance, and support services available to the student and their family.

• LAMP (Liaison Attendance Mediation Program). If the student’s attendance continues to be a concern, a LAMP referral will take place. This meeting is conducted by the District/CWA Attendance Liaison and includes the parent/guardian. The purpose of the LAMP meeting is to review the student’s attendance history, barriers to attendance and interventions, identify additional needed resources and develop an action plan.

• SARB (School Attendance Review Board) If the attendance concerns persist after the LAMP meeting the school site may issue a SARB referral. The SARB panel will assess the reasons for non-compliance and order appropriate directives to students, parents/guardians, and school to address the situation. The SARB may involve referrals to legal and or/social service agencies to ensure a comprehensive approach.

Hall Passes (digital or paper) 

Students must have a valid reason to ask for permission to leave a class with a pass. No passes should be issued to a student during the first and last ten minutes of the period.