• Did you know that the state of California no longer recognizes an "excused" absence? In order to get our daily attendance funding, the student must be in school on a given day. We do not get funding when a student is home ill.

• Did you know that our average daily attendance at CMS is only 97%? That means that on any given day an average of 22 students at CMS are absent. That also means roughly a loss of $1,320 per day or a loss of $237,600 per school year to CMS in state funding.

• Did you know that every day your child is away from school, the school district loses about $60 for that day of non-attendance?

• Did you know that if your child attends school for part of the day, we do get credit for that attendance? So if your child has a doctor's appointment during school hours, he/she still needs to attend school for the remainder of the day.

• Did you know that we have a goal at CMS of increasing our average daily attendance by 1% this year? If we do that, we will have an additional $56,700 in state funding.

• Did you know that if your child must be away from school for five days or more, we can issue an independent study contract, and if your student completes the work for that contract, then we can claim funding for those missed days? The state will not allow us to do independent study contracts for absences fewer than five days.

• Did you know that our student absence rate escalates on the day(s) right before and right after scheduled school vacations? You can help us by using only the scheduled school holidays for your family vacations.

• In this time of budget shortfall, we need every dollar. Having your student in school every day will help us maximize our state funding allocation.

 

Per Ed. Code 48205, absences and tardies are only excused for the specific reasons listed below. Students are entitled to make up missed work for full credit within a reasonable timeframe.

 

Valid Reasons for Excused Absences
• Health: Personal illness (including mental/behavioral health), quarantine, or medical appointments.
• Family: Funeral services (1 day in-state; 3 days out-of-state) or caring for the student's own sick child.
• Legal/Civic: Jury duty, naturalization ceremonies, precinct board service, or one day per year for civic/political events (with prior notice).
• Personal/Religious: Religious holidays, retreats (max 4 hours per semester), or cultural ceremonies.

• Military: Spending time with an immediate family member on active-duty deployment or leave.
• Justifiable Personal Reasons: Court appearances or educational conferences (requires prior written approval from the principal).

 

School sponsored Activities: Students attending school sponsored activities, field trips, or sporting events are excused with permission from each individual teacher whose class the student will miss. It’s the student's responsibility to communicate with teachers, when able to, in advance of such an absence and plan for tests, projects, and assignments scheduled for that day. Students must attend at least 4 periods of classes to participate in any school related activities.

 

Excessive Absences
After 10 single-period excused absences in a school year, any further illness-related absences must be verified by a doctor’s note to remain excused. Only illness or medical appointments qualify as an excused tardy. All other late arrivals are considered unexcused.

To avoid being marked truant, students must bring a signed parent note to the office before leaving. They will receive an exit pass and must report to the office to be signed out by an authorized adult.

Any absence that does not meet the "Excused" criteria—or an excused absence not verified within 24 hours—is considered unexcused.

 

Truancy Definition (Ed. Code 48260)
A student is legally classified as a truant and reported to the district if they have:
• Three (3) full days of unexcused absences.
• Three (3) tardies exceeding 30 minutes without a valid excuse.

This classification serves to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance and minimize instructional disruption.

 

Unexcused absences may negatively affect a student’s grade (BP 5113, 5121). Please schedule medical and court appointments outside of instructional hours whenever possible. If an appointment during school hours is unavoidable, students must report to the office first and be signed out by a parent to avoid a truancy mark.

 

Even valid excuses will be marked unexcused if not reported or verified with a doctor's note (when required) within the 24-hour window.

If your student needs to leave campus for an appointment, they must bring a parent-signed note to the attendance clerk upon arrival at school. And pick up an off campus pass for the scheduled departure time.

 

Tardies
Students are only considered "present" if they are physically inside the classroom when the bell rings.
• Coronado Middle School: starts at 8:20 AM
• Coronado High School: starts at 8:30 AM

Under EC 48260, any combination of three unexcused absences or tardies exceeding 30 minutes results in a legal classification of truancy.

Frequent absences can hinder academic progress. For planned absences of three or more consecutive days (for reasons other than illness), students are encouraged to utilize an Independent Study Contract.

1. Parents must email or send a written request to school administration at least 5 days before the absence.

2. If approved, students must obtain signatures from all teachers on the contract before leaving.

3. All completed work must be turned in to the front office (not the teacher) on or before the return date.

Important:
• No contracts will be issued after May 31.

• Regular attendance is critical during the final weeks of the school year for year-end assessments and completion.

• For students with an IEP or 504 Plan, Independent Study is considered a change of placement. A formal meeting is required prior to approval to ensure the plan specifically allows for this participation.

• Participation in Independent Study is strictly voluntary; CUSD will not obligate a student to enroll in independent study.

Please provide administration and teachers with as much notice as possible to allow for work preparation. Interested families should contact their classroom teacher to begin the process.

 

Maintaining consistent attendance is vital for academic success. To prevent chronic absenteeism, we monitor attendance patterns and provide graduated notifications to families when concerns arise.

 

Key Definitions
• Truancy (EC 48260): Any combination of three unexcused absences or tardies exceeding 30 minutes.

• "Soft Truancy": A pattern exceeding 10% of instructional days, including tardies, early withdrawals, or incomplete Independent Study contracts. These patterns often lead to more serious attendance issues if left unaddressed.

 

Notification Process
Parents of students with attendance concerns will receive monthly written notifications following these steps:
1. First Notification: An official First Letter informing the parent/guardian of the student's unexcused absences and truancy status.

2. Second Notification (SART): If the pattern continues after three truancy reports, the student is referred to the Student Attendance Review Team (SART). A mandatory meeting between the school, parent, and student is required. Sample Second Letter.

3. Third Notification (Habitual Truant): If the issue persists after three reports and a conscientious effort by the school to meet, the student is legally deemed a habitual truant. Sample Third Letter/Habitual Truant

California has updated attendance reporting to better identify and prevent chronic absenteeism, ensuring students remain on track for academic success. According to Education Code Section 60901(c)(1), a chronic absentee is any student who misses 10% or more of the total school days in a year. This calculation is based on the total number of days a student is enrolled, regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused. We believe consistent attendance is a shared responsibility between parents, students, and school staff. Please consult your individual school site for detailed information regarding:
• Tardy Policies
• Detention
• Saturday School

 

To enroll in CUSD, students must provide proof of residency. We do not inquire about the citizenship or immigration status of any student or family member during the enrollment process.

Verification & Enrollment
• Documentation: If submitted evidence is insufficient to establish residency, enrollment may be denied. In such cases, parents will receive a written explanation of the denial and instructions on the appeal process.

• Investigations: If residency evidence appears false or unreliable, CUSD may take reasonable steps to verify the student's actual address.

 

For a complete list of documents accepted for residency verification, please visit coronadousd.net or contact your school site Registrar.

 

SATURDAY SCHOOL

• If assigned, Saturday School attendance is MANDATORY. If the student has a compelling need to reschedule, he/she must speak with Administration, prior to the scheduled date, to arrange a different date. Not showing up for Saturday School may affect the student’s ability to participate in sports, activities or other school events.
• Students assigned to Saturday School will be issued a contract (signed by students and parent/guardian and turned in at Saturday School) and must plan and bring four hours worth of school work to be completed.
• Saturday School is held monthly, on the CMS campus from 8a.m. to 12p.m. and is proctored by CMS teachers.
• Saturday School may be assigned as a consequence for behavior in accordance with the District’s Discipline Action Guide.
• Students can voluntarily sign up for Saturday School to clear a planned absence not excusable under Ed. Code (see #1 above), but approved by administration. 
•  

Independent Study Contracts

Weekend Make-Up Days

• California Ed. Code (37223; 37330) allows for Weekend Makeup Days to extend to any CMS curricular activities spanning four consecutive hours or more on a Saturday or Sunday, under the supervision of a CMS Certificated employee. These may include: CMS Band/Choir weekend field trips and competitions; ASB activities (excluding time and attendance at a dance, for example); Saturday School; CMS community service events; CMS curricular field trips.
• Students making up a voluntary absence with Saturday School or an approved CMS weekend activity will be required to fill out the Weekend Makeup Class Agreement below with verification from the sponsoring CMS Certificated staff member and parent and submit this to administration. Weekend Makeup Days MAY NOT be exchanged for Saturday School assigned as a consequence for unexcused absences/tardies, and do not clear such absences/tardies.