Sky Mountain Truancy Policy

Truancy Definition

Attendance is very important to a student’s success in school. The Charter School expects that both students and parents shall take responsibility for ensuring that each student attends school each school day. Students enrolled at (School Name) Charter School must engage in an educational activity or activities required by the School on each of the days of the regular school calendar (175) per year. Due to the unique nature of an independent study program, this Charter School defines "truancy" as a missed assignment/attendance period or a missed school appointment. This is not the same definition of "truancy" that is used in a traditional, site based school. 

Truancy Policy

Pursuant to the independent study policy adopted by the Charter School Parent Council, any student who fails to demonstrate adequate and appropriate monthly progress toward the School’s student standards (due to any missed assignment/attendance period) or who misses a school appointment will be deemed truant, and an Evaluation Meeting may be held to consider whether it is in the student’s best interest to remain in the School’s independent study program. Each student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) or each adult student will be informed of this policy as part of the Student Agreement signed each semester.

An assignment/attendance period is defined as that number of school days between regularly scheduled ES/student meetings.

A missed assignment/attendance period is defined as any occasion when a student has 50% or less attendance during any school attendance period. For allowable variations, consult your ES Advisor.

A school appointment is defined as any meeting where the school requires the student or the student and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to attend, meet, and participate with school personnel for an educationally related purpose, such as a learning record meeting, any occasion when a student is required to attend a class, any required testing appointment, any special education meeting, or any CAHSEE Intensive session.

It is this Charter School’s policy to dismiss any student who is truant during two school assignment/attendance periods, or who has missed 2 school appointments within the same school year, or a combination of the above. Please note that the truant attendance periods within one school year leading to dismissal do not have to be consecutive. Dismissed students will not be permitted to re-enroll in the school at a later date.

First Truancy notice

A student who is truant for the first time shall be sent a warning letter, reminding the student of the School’s truancy policy and the requirements of the Student Agreement.

The School’s Education Director may at any time invite the student and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to attend an Evaluation Meeting to discuss whether the student’s continued enrollment in the School’s independent study program would be in the student’s best interest. If a First Truancy is issued, a learning record meeting must take place within 5 business days of the First Truancy date. If the student(s) and parent miss the 5-day learning record appointment, then a Second Truancy will be issued.Prior to any Evaluation Meeting, the student or the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may

o Send a letter to the School’s Education director at (insert address), including all material facts or issues relating to the student’s truancy;

o Send an email to the School’s Education director at (insert email address) including all material facts or issues relating to the student’s truancy; or,

o Call the School’s Education director at (phone number).

A student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) or an adult student may request an Evaluation Meeting with the School’s Education Director at any time.

Second Truancy notice

Students who have been twice truant will be sent a second truancy notice containing information regarding the student’s truancy. The student will then be dismissed from the school according to the school’s truancy policy and charter.

The School’s Education Director may at any time invite the student and the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) to attend an Evaluation Meeting to discuss whether the student’s continued enrollment in the School’s independent study program would be in the student’s best interest. Prior to any Evaluation Meeting, the student or the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) may

· Send a letter to the school director at (insert address), including all material facts or issues relating to the student’s truancy;

· Send an email to the school director at (insert email address) including all material facts or issues relating to the student’s truancy; or,

· Call the school director at (phone number).

A student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) or an adult student may request an Evaluation Meeting with the School’s Education Director at any time.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) of a student who has received a second truancy notice may request a formal hearing where the parent and student shall be given an opportunity to participate and present facts relevant to the issues set forth in the notice.  In the event of any such request, the School Education Director shall appoint a Hearing Committee composed of five (5) members of the Board of Directors which shall conduct a hearing regarding the notice.  After the hearing, the Hearing Committee shall send its recommendation to the School Education Director and the District Liaison. The School Education Director and District Liaison, together, will make all final decisions concerning student dismissal. In the event of a student’s dismissal, the School will notify the student’s district of residence of that fact.

The Hearing Committee and the School’s Education Director and District Liaison shall take any information presented by the parent/guardian or adult student into consideration when determining whether it is in the best interest of the student to remain in independent study. Additional factors to be considered include but are not limited to the following:

a) student’s grades at the time of the evaluation

b) teacher observation/feedback

c) standardized testing data

d) student’s progress in independent study curriculum

The School’s Education Director and District Liaison’s dismissal decision shall be final, and shall be provided in writing to the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) or an adult student within three (3) days of the evaluation hearing. The School’s Education Director and District Liaison’s dismissal decision may:

a) find independent study is in the student’s best interest,

b) place the student on attendance probation to be evaluated again at a later time if the student continues to fail to engage in daily activities,

c) use other alternatives to improve attendance, or

d) find that it is not in the student’s best interest to remain in independent study.

If the Education Director and District Liaison finds that it is not in the student’s best interest to remain in independent study, then the student shall be dismissed from enrollment at the Charter School and the Charter School will notify the district in which the student resides that the School no longer has the student enrolled in the Charter School.