Attendance
Student Attendance, Discipline, and Welfare
Attendance & School Attendance Review Board (SARB) Information
Our Commitment
At Orange Unified School District, we believe every student has the right to a high-quality education—and regular school attendance is essential to making that right a reality.
Regular attendance isn’t just about academics—it supports students’ social-emotional development, builds peer connections, and sets the foundation for lifelong success. These habits begin early: research shows that consistent attendance starting in preschool and kindergarten is a key predictor of future academic achievement and engagement.
That’s why we emphasize a proactive, positive, and partnership-based approach. Promoting attendance is not about blame or consequences—it’s about working together with families to understand and address challenges early.
Why Attendance Matters
Consistent attendance—even in the early grades—makes a measurable difference.
- Students who attend regularly are more likely to read at grade level, stay on track academically, and graduate from high school.
- Positive attendance patterns lead to better peer and adult relationships and reduce disciplinary incidents.
- Missing just 2 days per month (excused or unexcused) can result in a student falling behind—especially in foundational learning years like TK–3.
- Good attendance habits mirror those needed for college and careers—punctuality, responsibility, and follow-through.
Attendance is a behavior, not a character flaw—and it can be supported and improved with the right interventions.
Understanding Attendance Challenges
We recognize that students and families may face real-life obstacles to attendance, such as:
- Health or mental health needs
- Transportation issues
- Housing insecurity or family responsibilities
- Fear, anxiety, or lack of connection to school
Our focus is to build trust and offer support, not punishment. Early outreach, home visits, and open communication allow us to work together to remove barriers and re-engage students.
When is a Student Considered Chronically Absent?
A student is chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year, for any reason. This includes excused and unexcused absences.
- 1–2 absences per month = chronic absenteeism
- 15 days absent = 3 full weeks of lost learning
- By 6th grade, chronic absenteeism becomes a leading indicator of future dropout risk
Truancy & California Law
While our approach is support-first, the law still requires full-time school attendance:
- Truant (EC 48260): 3 unexcused absences or 30+ minute tardies
- Habitual Truant (EC 48262): 3 or more truancy reports, after parent conferences and support
- Compulsory Education (EC 48200): All students ages 6–18 must attend school full time unless legally exempt
School Attendance Review Board (SARB)
The School Attendance Review Board (SARB) is a team of district and community representatives who partner with families when attendance or behavior concerns persist despite school-level interventions.
SARB includes:
- Student & Community Services (SCS)
- School site representatives
- Health & mental health professionals
- Community support agencies
SARB’s goal is not discipline—but rather to listen, understand, and help. The SARB process develops personalized attendance plans and connects families to services ranging from counseling to transportation assistance.
In rare cases where families refuse to engage, SARB may escalate cases per Education Code 48291.
1 Day a Month Can Make a Difference
Most careers expect near-perfect attendance—and today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce. We ask families to adopt the mindset that “one attendance issue per month” is a reasonable limit, outside of serious illness or emergencies.
Delivering that same message—at school and at home—helps students develop habits that lead to long-term success.
A Partnership for Every Student
We are here to help. If your child is struggling with attendance, please reach out. Whether you need help navigating medical needs, anxiety, transportation, or something else—we’re ready to work with you.
Regular attendance builds routines. Routines build confidence. Confidence builds futures.
Together, let’s make sure every student is present, connected, and ready to succeed—starting day one.
SARB/SART Process
Attendance & School Attendance Review Board Information
It is the position of the Office of Student and Community Services (SCS) that all children have a right to an education and that it is the responsibility of the parents and guardians, school site staff members and the district’s staff to work together as a team for the betterment of a child’s education K-12.
Please take the time to read this material pertaining to attendance, attendance codes, and the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process.
Are you aware?
Students with regular school attendance tend to have higher achievement is school and a greater probability of success in college.
Student who are not tardy and who have regular attendance tend to have better relationships with their peers and with staff members.
Students averaging 15 days of absence a year will miss a year of instruction by the 12th grade and elementary school students who average 29.5 days of absence a year will miss a year of instruction by the end of the 6th grade.
Students who are habitually tardy are developing habits that may last for a lifetime. Please keep in mind that the #1 reason people are fired is because they are late to work!
There is an absolute relationship between students who drop out of school and attendance problems during the elementary of middle school years.
On a national average, students who drop out of school tend to work within five dollar of minimum wage for the majority of their lives. Students with a high school diploma will earn approximately $240.000 more over a lifetime than a drop out and a college graduate will earn close to a half a million dollars more over a lifetime.
Attendance Problems
There are four main categories of attendance problems facing students today:
- Excessive tardiness
- Excessive absences
- Truancy
- Dropping out
For many students, these four categories represent a cycle that takes many years to develop.
The cycle often begins with an elementary student whose family has a transportation problem or who has a medical condition, such as asthma, etc. Please keep in mind that the district does not want students who are ill attending classes. However, the district does expect effective communication and student to make-up work assignments’ missed.
Families who address these issues tend to solve their problem early. For example, families who coordinate their efforts and their doctor’s efforts, and their school site’s efforts tend to have successful students.
Families who do not make regular school attendance a high priority in the student’s early years, have difficulty changing their son/daughter’s habits during the high school years.
1 Day a Month
Most major industries today permit only one absence or one tardy to work per month and numerous companies permit no attendance problems at all. This is the reality of today’s work place. Other than excusing for the normal childhood illnesses or a major medical condition, this message of “no more than one attendance problem per month” is the same message that needs to be delivered to all students at school and at home.
Attendance Laws
Compulsory to Age 18 E.C. 48200 states: “Each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years of age is subject to compulsory fill-time education. Each person…shall attend the public full-time day school or continuation school or classes for the full time designated as the length of the school day by the governing board of the school district in which the residency of either parent or legal guardian is located and each parent, guardian, or other person having control or charge of the pupil shall send the pupil to the public full-time day school or continuation school for the full-time designated…”
Truancy
E. C. 48260 states: “Any pupil subject to compulsory full-time education or to compulsory continuation education who is absent from school without a valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year, or any combination thereof, is a truant…”
Habitual Truant
E.C. 48262 States: “Any pupil is deemed an habitual truant who has been reported as a truant three or more times per school year provided that no pupil shall be deemed an habitual truant unless and appropriate district officer or employee has made a conscientious effort to hold a least on conference with a parent or guardian of the pupil and the pupil himself…”
SARB - OUSD's School Attendance Review Board
E.C. 48263 states: If any minor pupil in any district of a county is an habitual truant, or is irregular in attendance at school,…, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school, the pupil may be referred to a school attendance review board…”
The “School Attendance Review Board” serving out district’s students is comprised of the SCS representative, health services, psychologist services, Orange County Youth and Family Services and other community resources as specified in E. C. 48321.
The Orange Unified School District SARB panel holds weekly meetings to address student attendance and discipline issues.
It is hoped that both the families and “SARB” have a common goal of improving attendance and the student’s performance at school. Unfortunately, there are families that do not comply with the law and do not value their son/daughter’s education opportunity. In those cases, E.C. 48291 states: “…In the event that any such parent, guardian, or other person continually and willfully fails to respond to directives of the school attendance review board or services provided, the school attendance review board shall direct the school district to make and file in the proper court a criminal complaint against the parent, guardian, or other person, charging the violation, and shall see that the charge is prosecuted by the proper authority…”
