Attendance Policy

We at Bowman Charter School endeavor to provide your student with the outstanding education that she or he deserves. In order for that to be facilitated, your student needs to be in school, on time.

Students who are absent miss not only the lessons that are taught in the classroom but all the daily enrichment activities that cannot be participated in or made up. Students who are tardy or leave early disrupt the activity in the classroom and often miss critical information that is only shared at the beginning or end of the school day.

Bowman Charter School does NOT receive funding from the State of California for students who are absent. Automated phone calls are placed to households of absent students. Calling to report an absence or responding to the automated calls does not automatically excuse the absence. The State of California Department of Education and Bowman Charter School’s Attendance Policy is as follows:

Bowman Charter School’s Attendance Policy AR 5113

A student’s absence shall be excused for the following reasons:

    1. Personal illness
    2. Medical, dental, optometric or chiropractic appointments
    3. Quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer
    4. Attendance at a funeral service for a member of the immediate family – limited to one day if the service is in California, three days if the service is out of state
    5. Appearance in court

A student’s absence shall not be considered excused for reasons such as:

    1. Going out of town
    2. Having out of town company
    3. “Family” days
    4. Family emergencies
    5. Parental custody issues
    6. Extracurricular activities

Tardy Policy

For students in grades 5-8, 1 hour after school detention will be assigned after 3 tardies (per semester).

Excessive tardies may result in a parent/teacher conference, a conference with the Principal, an attendance contract, and possible Charter enrollment revocation.

Truancy

Students who are absent from school without a valid excuse or are tardy for more than 30 minutes or any combination thereof on 3 occasions per school year are considered by the State of California Department of Education (Section 48260 a) to be Truant.

Truant students are subject to intense oversight by the Bowman Charter School Administration to insure that attendance and academic requirements are met. Failure to comply with established standards and expectations could result in Student Attendance Review Board court appearances, sanctions of CalWORKS benefits, fines, and other court -ordered programs.

Failure to attend school is a violation of the State Compulsory Attendance Law and may result in legal action.

Bowman Charter School does not receive state funding for students who are absent. However, funding is provided for partial day attendance. If your student should have an appointment during the school day, they are encouraged to attend school before and/or after their appointment.

We appreciate your assistance by getting your student(s) to school and picking them up on time. Punctuality is a virtue that will serve your child well beyond the years that they spend at Bowman Charter School. If we can be of further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at (530) 885-1974.