Attendance Policies & School Rules

ATHERWOOD ALL*STAR RULES

1. All*Stars are on time.
2. All*Stars are in the classroom when school begins.
3. All*Stars are in line after each recess.
4. All*Stars keep their hands and feet to themselves.
5. All*Stars speak and act respectfully at all times.
6. All*Stars use appropriate language and tone.
7. All*Stars walk on campus.
   • Run only on designated play areas.
   • Skateboards, scooters, bikes, Heelies, etc. are not allowed during the school day or after hours.
8. All*Stars respect public and personal property.
   • Put trash in appropriate containers.
   • Do not take or damage property.
9. All*Stars may only use cell phones/electronic devices after school; cell phones for medical purposes are the only exemptions.
   • Keep devices in backpacks during school hours.
   • Cell phones are off during school hours.

Additionally, each teacher has his/her own classroom standards according to the above principles. Atherwood’s Discipline Program uses positive reinforcement. All children will be recognized for appropriate behavior, both verbally and with positive rewards. The Leader in Me program focuses on helping students to make goals and understand their roles and responsibilities.

CONSEQUENCES

Students who disregard school rules will be disciplined with dignity in a progressive manner. Consequences will be assigned to students, which may include, but are not limited to, being sent to a different classroom, the loss of certain recess and/or lunch privileges, campus beautification, parent/teacher/principal conference, after school detention, or suspension from school. Students who receive detention will inform their parents by telephone or a notice home to be signed. This notice is to be signed by the parent and returned to school the next day. 

ZERO TOLERANCE

According to Education Code 48915, students possessing, selling, or otherwise furnishing any knife, gun, explosive device or other dangerous object at school or school activities off school grounds shall be subject to discipline up to, and including expulsion, consistent with district policies and regulation, as well as state and federal law. By law, the principal must then file expulsion papers with the school district for any of the above listed offences.

Any student who possesses toy or imitation firearms, knives, explosive devices or dangerous objects at a school or school activities off school grounds will be subject to discipline, up to and including suspension or expulsion. If a student finds that they are in procession of a dangerous object, they may be offered “safe passage” as long as the object is immediately given to an adult, has not been shown to other students, and has not been used at school.

AUTOMATIC SUSPENSION
(State Law Section 48900)

Students may be subject to suspension or expulsion for committing any of the following acts listed below:

• Caused, attempted to cause, or threatened to cause physical injury to another person or willfully used force or violence upon the person of another, except in self-defense.
• Possessed, sold, or otherwise furnished any firearm, knife, explosive or other dangerous object.
• Unlawfully possessed, used, sold, or otherwise furnished or been under the influence of any controlled substance.
• Unlawfully offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell any controlled substance.
• Committed or attempted to commit robbery or extortion.
• Caused or attempted to cause damage to school property or private property.
• Stole or attempted to steal school property or private property.
• Possessed or used tobacco, or any products containing tobacco or nicotine products.
• Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity
• Unlawfully possessed, or unlawfully offered, arranged, or negotiated to sell any drug paraphernalia.                
• Disrupted school activities or otherwise willfully defied the valid authority of supervisors, teachers, administrators, school officials, or other school personnel.
• Knowingly received stolen school property or private property.
• Possessed an imitation firearm, i.e., a replica of a firearm that is so substantially similar in physical properties to an existing firearm as to lead a reasonable person to conclude that the replica is a firearm.
• Committed or attempted to commit a sexual assault, or committed sexual battery.
• Harassed, threatened, attempted to intimidate a student who is a complaining witness or witnesses in a school disciplinary proceeding for the purpose of either preventing that student from being a witness or retaliating against that student for being a witness, or both.

Students in grades 4 to 12 are also subject to suspension or recommendation for expulsion for any of the acts listed below:

• Made terrorist threats against school officials and/or school property.
• Committed sexual harassment as defined in Education Code 212.5.
• Caused, attempted to cause, threatened to cause, or participated in an act of hate violence.
• Intentionally harassed, threatened, or intimidated a student or group of students to the extent of having the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, and invading student rights by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment.

A student may be suspended or expelled for any of the acts listed above if the act is related to a school activity or school attendance occurring at any district school or within any other school district, including but not limited to the following circumstances:

• While on school grounds.
• While going to or coming from school.
• During the lunch period, whether on or off the school campus.
• During, going to, or coming from a school sponsored activity. Alternatives to suspension or expulsion will be used with students who are truant, tardy, or otherwise absent from assigned school activities.

Attendance Policies

Good attendance is crucial to a student's academic success and in forming life-long habits and self-discipline. The Simi Valley Unified School District attendance policy is very specific and recognizes the joint responsibility of the school district and the parents/guardians in working together to ensure good attendance patterns for all students. 

Absence from school shall be excused for health reasons, family emergencies, and justifiable personal reasons as permitted by law, board policy, and administration regulations.

Students, with the written consent of their parents/guardians, may be excused from school in order to participate in religious exercises or to receive moral or religious instruction.

No student shall have his/her grades reduced or lose academic credit for any excused absence or absences, if missed assignments and tests that can reasonably be provided are satisfactorily completed within a reasonable period of time.

Notwithstanding Section 48200, a student shall be excused from school when the absence is:

1. Due to his/her illness.
2. Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.
3. For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic services rendered.
4. For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of his/her immediate family, so long as the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in California and not more than three days if the service is conducted outside California.
5. For the purpose of jury duty in the manner provided for by law.
6. Due to the illness or medical appointment during school hours of a child of whom the student is the custodial parent.
7. For justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, attendance at a funeral service, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his/her religion, attendance at religious retreats, attendance at an employment conference, or attendance at an educational conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization when the student’s absence is requested in writing by the parent/guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board.
8. For the purpose of serving as a member of a precinct board for an election pursuant to Section 12302 of the Elections Code.
9. For the purpose of spending time with a member of the student’s immediate family, who is an active duty member of the uniformed services, as defined in EC 49701, and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or has immediately returned from, deployment to a combat zone or combat support position. Absences granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be granted for a period of time to be determined at the discretion of the Superintendent of the school district.
10. To attend his/her naturalization ceremony to become a United States citizen. (EC 48205).

A student absent from school under this section shall be allowed to complete all assignments and tests missed during the absence that can be reasonably provided and, upon satisfactory completion within a reasonable period of time, shall be given full credit therefore. The teacher of the class from which a student is absent shall determine which tests and assignments shall be reasonably equivalent to, but not necessarily identical to, the tests and assignments that the student missed during the absence.

For purposes of this section, attendance at religious retreats shall not exceed four hours per semester.

Absences pursuant to this section are deemed to be absences in computing average daily attendance and shall not generate state apportionment payments.

“Immediate family,” as used in this section, has the same meaning as that set forth in EC 45194, except that references therein to “employee” shall be deemed to be references to “pupil” or “student.”

If any minor is a habitual truant, or is irregular in school attendance, the student may be referred to an attendance supervisor, or a school attendance review board (SARB) or the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. (EC 48267) For students declared a ward of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code 602, school staff is required to report to the student’s probation officer school attendance and/or behavior violations within ten days of the reported violation. (EC 48267) (EC 46014, 48205)

All students who arrive to the classroom after the 8 a.m. bell must be issued a Tardy Slip. State law and district policies require that school sites keep accurate attendance records. Please discuss with your child the importance of being at school on time each day.