Public school districts in California receive their funding from the state of California based on the actual number of students who are present for classes, not on the district’s enrollment. Districts are not paid for students who are absent, no matter whether an absence is excused or unexcused. Grenada Elementary School District urges parents to make sure their children attend school regularly and to schedule medical and other appointments so that a student misses none, or only a small portion, of the school day. The district also asks that travel or other absences be avoided during the time school is in session. The better a student’s attendance rate, the more a student will learn and the greater the amount of funding that the district will receive from the state for classroom instruction and academic programs.

The school calendar is designed to minimize problems for families who plan vacations around traditional holiday periods, and thereby minimize student absences. Also refer to the Independent Study Agreement when extended absences are necessary.

Following an absence, a student is required to bring a written excuse from home when returning to school, or the school must have received a phone call from a parent/guardian. Illnesses and doctor and dental appointments are considered excused absences. Children should not be sent to school when they are not feeling well. Absences without a written excuse or phone call from home are recorded as unexcused. (Please see section on truancies.)

Chronic absentee means a student who is absent for any reason on 10 percent or more of the school days in the school year, when the total number of days the student is absent is divided by the total number of days the student is enrolled and school was actually taught in the regular day schools of the district, exclusive of Saturdays and Sundays.

Truant means a student 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. (Education Code 48260)

Habitual truant means a student who has been reported as a truant three or more times within the same school year, provided the district has made a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with the student and his/her parent/guardian. (Education Code 48262, 48264.5) Note: SB 1317 (Ch. 647, Statutes of 2010) added Education Code 48263.6 to define a "chronic truant" as provided below.

Chronic truant means a student who has been absent from school without a valid excuse for 10 percent or more of the school days in one school year, from the date of enrollment to the current date, provided the district has met the requirements of Education Code 48260-48263 and 48291. (Education Code 48263.6)  

California State Law requires that all Preschool through Grade 12 students attending school receive immunizations as outlined in the  shotsforschool.org  website. Please review the immunization requirements for your child based upon their school program and grade level. 

All new families registering their children for enrollment in the GESD are required to provide immunization documents (i.e.. immunization record or medical exemption) for each child at the time of registration. Once the immunization documents are received, families will be granted 30 days from the date of their registration to provide documentation of required up-to-date immunizations (if applicable) or a valid CA medical exemption for each of their enrolled children.

Grenada Elementary School District is dedicated to academic achievement and success for all students. We value, appreciate, and seek out your involvement and collaboration for the success of your child.  

Regular school attendance is a critical part of that success. Our district is committed to increasing the attendance rate in school. We are asking all parents to help us ensure the regular, on-time attendance of their children at school.  We monitor attendance closely because research has shown that regular attendance is vital for the success of children in school. California law states that absences are excused only if the child is ill or there is an excuse which meets the requirements of Education Code Section 48205. Even excused absences that cause your child to miss significant amounts of school can cause your child to fall behind in class.

Our goal is to have all children present in school every day and on time. Remember, every child, every day, and every minute counts! We look forward to partnering with you.  

Please click on the following links for additional information on school attendance.

• Excused Absences

• Verification of Absences

• Definition of Chronic Absenteeism

• When to keep your child home

Under state rules, the District loses $40 per day for every student absence.  While school funding is certainly a concern during these trying economic times, of more importance to us is the loss of instructional minutes for children when they are absent.  Please schedule vacations during school holidays and doctor appointments after school.  Of course, we certainly understand when illness or family emergencies arise - but we do want students here and ready for learning every day of the 180 school days!  Missing school is missing a unique day of learning that will be lost forever.

Parents who are new to the area and reside within district attendance boundaries may enroll their child at the school serving their neighborhood. To register, parents need to provide the school with two different documents upon enrollment and the child's immunization records.

Acceptable documents for verification include the following:
As proof of residence, Current electric/gas bill or water/sewer bill and current mortgage statement or rental agreement. An escrow statement followed by verification of closing documents is also acceptable.

At registration, the name and address of the child’s previous school will be requested if parents do not have possession of student records. For students entering GESD, parents need to provide a birth certificate or other evidence of age.

For immunization requirements at each grade level, please see the Immunization section under Health Information Section.

Parents of district students who would like their child to attend a school other than the school serving their neighborhood should follow the process outlined under the Inter-district Transfer Forms can be obtained at schools or at the GESD Main Office.

There is no need to re-register students who are currently enrolled at their home school.

All neighborhood schools accept registration forms for kindergarten students who will reach five years of age by December 2 of the year that the child will enter kindergarten. Parents are encouraged to attend kindergarten orientation sessions held in the spring prior to the child entering school in the fall. For more information on kindergarten registration and orientation, please contact the Main Office or ask for the district publication, “Welcome to Kindergarten.”  (Coming soon*)The brochure is also on this website. Click Here for the Kindergarten page.

Children are expected to be at school on time. If a child is late, the child should bring an excuse from home to the school office. Frequent tardiness or absences without a valid excuse is considered truancy under state law.

A student is considered truant if he/she misses a day of school and it is considered an unexcused absence, or if the student is tardy three times for more than 30 minutes each time OR misses more than 30 minutes of the school day.. The SARB process will be initiated with ANY combination of 3 unexcused tardies and/or absences.  Additionally, any absences over 10 days total for the year OR absences for more than 10% of the school days in one school year, whether excused and/or unexcused, is considered excessive and WILL trigger the SARB process. After the threshold has been exceeded, a doctors not must be provided for EACH tardy/absence including early check outs. 

Unexcused absences are all absences that do not meet the following criteria listed in the California Education Code. The criteria which allow for excused absences are:

• an illness, medical or dental need (a doctor’s note may be required);

• the funeral of an immediate family member;

• a justifiable personal reason when the student’s excused absence has been requested in writing in advance and has been approved by the principal or the principal’s designated representative.

For the full text of absences which are recorded as excused under the state Education Code, please click here .

When a student is a habitual truant, or is irregular in attendance at school, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during school, the student may be referred to a school attendance review board (SARB) or to the county probation department pursuant to EC Section 48263. The student may also be referred to a probation officer or district attorney mediation program pursuant to EC Section 48263.5. The intent of these laws is to provide intensive guidance to meet the special needs of students with school attendance problems or school behavior problems pursuant to EC Section 48320. These interventions are designed to divert students with serious attendance and behavioral problems from the juvenile justice system and to reduce the number of students who drop out of school.

The School Attendance Review Board (SARB), currently operating in your community, was developed under the legal provisions of Education code Section 12500. This program was initiated by parents, educators, and community agency representatives who were concerned over the pupils who have little chance for future educational or career success due to poor school attendance.

The general responsibilities of SARB are broad in scope. It accepts referrals of pupils who have a history of poor attendance. Many of these pupils feel alienated from their school and teachers for a variety of reasons: academic failure, personal and family problems, immaturity, learning disabilities, social pressures, etc.

Most alienated pupils, whatever the cause, drop out of school prior to high school graduation and enter society without the skills and academic preparation necessary for a competitive job market.

The purpose of SARB is to provide a coordinated community effort to meet the special needs of those pupils with school attendance problems. It’s goal is to provide better utilization of local community and school resources as an alternative to utilization of the juvenile justice system. SARB membership consists of parents, school officials, and representatives of the various community and county agencies who serve you locally such as the Social Services Agency, County Probation Department, County Mental Health, office of the District Attorney, and law enforcement.

The goal of the SARB is to work directly with pupils and parents who need assistance in dealing more effectively with the school and community so that personal success is possible. A meeting of the pupil and parent is usually scheduled with members of the SARB team, in which the problem is reviewed and alternative solutions are explored. Referrals to specific community agencies may be made or changes made in the school program. Other general responsibilities include school and community studies and recommendations for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and diversion of youth from the juvenile justice system.