EL RANCHO CHARTER

Attendance Hotline (714) 628-5427

If your student will be absent (or late), please call the Attendance Hotline at (714) 628-5427 the morning of the absence and each subsequent day. If you visit the doctor, we would love a doctor's note for a medically excused absence. If you have a personal absence for more than three days, please come by the Attendance Office for a Student Absence Form before the absence. Once we have it, we’ll forward it to each other. Keeping up with students is easier with your home set of books and most assignments on Google Classroom. Please call Mrs. Cannon with any attendance questions.

Attendance Recommendations

Attendance in secondary school differs from that in elementary school. Students now have seven teachers to manage, so missing an entire school day for a personal day or even a medical appointment can really put your student behind.

We recommend signing your student out for an appointment, then dropping them off back at school. If you are going to pick up your student during the school day for an appointment, please sign your student out at the Attendance Office (in the atrium across from the library). You may call in advance or send a note with your student in the morning, but you must sign your student out. After a student's appointment, they may return to school. Please have them sign back in at the Attendance Office, and we will return their pass to class. It is okay to come back mid-class.

We always recommend getting a note from any medical provider to change the absence from personal to medically excused. Your student can drop it off when they sign back in, or you can email the note to scannon@orangeusd.org.

Attendance Policy

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

All students who are absent inexcusably, as defined by the California Education Code, will be subject to the El Rancho Unexcused Absence Policy. Students who have a regular unexcused absence may turn in assignments for partial credit and may complete all tests and quizzes upon their return for full credit, but would not be allowed to retake any tests or quizzes.

Family vacations/reunions.
Theme Park excursions.
Non-school-related sports events/competitions.
Cruises, fishing trips, trips to the river, beach trips, etc.
Acting, movie, or commercial shoots.
Theme camps (i.e., cheer camp, dance camp, baseball camp, etc.)
Other activities not enumerated under California Education Code 48205 that are deemed unexcused by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Excused absences are enumerated under California Education Code 48205, and include the following reasons:

Due to their illness.
Due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer.
For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic services rendered (full or partial day), when a doctor's note is provided to the attendance office upon the student's return.
For the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of their 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.
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 or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, or attendance at an employment conference, when the pupil's absence has been requested in writing by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal or a designated representative pursuant to uniform standards established by the governing board. El Rancho Charter School must be notified before departure/absence, or the absence will be considered unexcused.

HOMEWORK REQUESTS

Students absent for an excused reason under California Education Code 48205 can complete missed assignments and tests and will receive full credit upon satisfactory completion. Teachers will ensure that the missed work is reasonably equivalent, though not necessarily identical. They have a 24-hour window to assign homework for excused absences.

Parents and students should check the teacher’s classroom website and the Parent/Student Portal (Google Classroom) for missed work. If it’s not available online, you can email the teacher.

For absences of three (3) or more consecutive days, obtain an Absence Request form from the Attendance Clerk at 714-628-5443. The student’s Advisor will review the request and notify you within 24 business hours. Absences of 15 days or longer will be reported to Child Welfare and Attendance, potentially leading to a School Attendance Review Board hearing. Students absent for 20 or more consecutive days will be dropped from enrollment.