Phone Number

Office Hours

(760) 367-9591 ext. 2224

During School Days: 6:30 AM to 3:00 PM

Fill in the Form

Clear an Absence

Call the Attendance Office

Call the direct line to the attendance office at the number above.

In your message, include:

• Your first and last name

• Your student's first and last name

• The date of the absence

• A reason for the absence

Send a Note w/the Student

These notes must include:

• Your first and last name

• Your student's first and last name

• The date(s) of the absence

• The reason for the absence(s)

Notes without the above details will not be processed.

Visit In-Person

Come to the office during regular hours of operation to clear an absence

Notes and phone calls are verified by calling the parent at work or home; this is to make sure the note and/or call is from the parent/guardian.

Clearing All-Day Absence

Clear within two weeks of the date of absence. All uncleared absences are marked unexcused.

Clearing Period Absences

The student:

• Signed out properly in the student check-out log

• Arrived late with the parent/guardian

• Arrived late with a note from the parent/guardian

• Had the parent/guardian call to excuse the student the same day of the partial absence

Blanket Excusals

e.g. "Any days (my student) was out are because of illness" are considered invalid. Please specify reasons and dates of absence.

3+ Consecutive Days of Absence

Parents can excuse up to 3 consecutive days of absence due to illness.

Absences that last longer than 3 consecutive days require a doctor's note. The doctor's note must include the days of absence that are to be cleared.

For example, a student can’t be out five days and the doctor's note states that the student was seen on day 5 and can return on the next day. Day 4 would be considered unexcused. Unless the doctor included the fourth day in his note stating the student needed to be out that day.

Leaving Campus

Any student leaving the campus during the day for any reason other than a school approved activity must be signed out by the parent/guardian or someone approved in the student information system.

Positive picture I.D. is required to pick up students.

Non-School Related Activities

Students involved in outside activities must have permission slips approved by the principal prior to the day of the event and classes/periods missed. Only the principal can approve these absences.

This includes the Fire Explorers, Scouts, religious retreats, etc.

Late Arrival

Students arriving late or returning to campus must check in at the attendance office.

Students can be:

1. Accompanied by their parent/guardian,

2. Have a note from the parent/guardian or Doctor/Dentist office.

   Or

3. The parent/guardian needs to call and excuse the absence.

   
   

   If none of these are done the student is marked unexcused for the classes he/she missed, or unexcused tardy for the late arrival.

Signing Out

When signing out your student, please make sure you put the reason he/she is leaving campus. Putting the words appointment or personal is not excused by the state of California or the Morongo Unified School District.

Putting “family emergency” is not an excused absence.

If you don’t want to list the reason the student is leaving campus, come talk to me and I can put the appropriate entry into the student’s file, and initial the check out log.

Valid/Invalid Reasons for Absence

Due to California Education Code, not all parent/guardian approved excuses are considered excused.

California Ed Code excuses the following:

• Student illness.

• Student at medical/dental appt. for him/her.

• Student in quarantine.

• Student at funeral for immediate family, mother, father, sister, brother, grand parents.

Unexcused examples would be:

• Taking care of sick parent or siblings.

• Baby sitting.

• On family vacation.

• Going out of town for Marine Corps Ball, wedding, sibling graduation.

Please make doctor/dental appointments early in the day or later in the day so your student can benefit from some education.

At one time, schools received their state monies for students if the reason the student was absent was excused. Not anymore. If your student is not in school at all for the day, regardless of the reason, the school/district receives no monies from the state for that day for your student. A student being here for even one teacher to count them as present in his/her attendance will earn the district the money for that student for that particular day.

Law-related absences are excused if you provide documentation from the court showing that the student had to be there on that specific day and time.

Juvenile Court cases in Joshua Tree are over early enough so the student can make it to at least his/her 5th period class. In most cases, they can be here for 4th period as well.

Excessive absences from parents/guardians will result in having to show proof from a doctor the student has a health problem and should be out or late to school so frequently.

If at all possible we take the parent/guardians word for the student’s absence. When absences are too frequent and interfere with the education of the student, then documentation will be required for further absences. Such as, notes from Doctors, Dentist, Courts, showing the student in question had to be there, and out for the day(s) missed.

Exceptions are made on occasion, but these need to be brought to the attention of the principal.

The principal, not the attendance clerk, has the authority to make exceptions.