It is well established that faithful and regular attendance in school is related to student progress and achievement. For your child to do his or her very best, it is important that he or she be in school as many days as possible.

For educational and financial purposes, we need your help in making sure your child maintains good attendance. There are times when it is necessary for a child to miss school. We do not recommend that a child come to school if he or she is ill or could spread his or her illness to others. We need your help in minimizing all other absences.

Please note that “excuse notes” or phone calls from parents are still required to verify absences. Under the current law, schools must continue to track all absences and report them to the state. Please observe the following:

Student Absent for 5-10 Days

If you plan to take your child out of school for five (5) or more days (i.e. out-of-town trip), please contact the Stephen's Office at (559) 665-8060 at least 5-10 days in advance. A Site-based Independent Study contract will be arranged to help maintain the continuity in your child’s studies. 

Excused Absences

Absences are excused when verified by a qualified school employee or family physician for any of the following reasons:

• Illness or quarantine
• Medical, dental, or optometry appointments
• Attending a funeral of an immediate family member or of those that persons married to an immediate family member
• Participation in religious instruction or exercises provided the pupil attends school on such days for the "minimum day" and there are not more than four such days per month.

Medical Appointments

Parents are urged to schedule medical appointments after school hours to ensure that instruction is not interrupted. Please call the Attendance Office (559) 665-8060 24 hours ahead of time for scheduled appointments.

Need for Absence Note

If the absence occurs for several days, a telephone call from the parent on the first day will be appreciated. When students who have been absent for one or more days return to school, they must present a satisfactory explanation verifying the reason for the absence. Unless verification is obtained, the school must record any absence as unexcused with the following possible consequences: (1) the student may be classified as truant and (2) the student may not be allowed to make up missed assignments/tests. The following methods may be used to verify student absences: 

• A written note from parent/guardian, parent representative,
• Conversation, in person or by telephone, between the verifying employee and the student’s parent/guardian or parent representative.

Arrival & Dismissal

Students are the responsibility of the school upon their arrival. Therefore, students are not to leave the school premises once they have arrived without permission from office personnel. Since there are no school personnel on duty before 7:30 a.m., or after 1:55 p.m., no student should be on the school grounds before or after these times.