Winship-Robbins Elementary School District

Children in California have the right to a free and appropriate education. California state law provides the following:

Districts must admit children at the beginning of the school year (or whenever they move into a district) if they will be five years of age on or before December 2 of the school year (EC Section 48000[a]). 

To enroll a student the following is required:

1. A birth certificate or equivalent and a transfer/report card from the previous school
2. Evidence of immunizations

Only a parent or legal guardian may enroll a child in school. If there are questions, please see the site administrator. 

Children in the Winship-Robbins Elementary School District may be granted requests to transfer between the two school sites or to a different district. Students residing outside the district may be granted requests to attend school at one of the Winship-Robbins sites. Please ask for the appropriate forms and board policies at one of the school site offices. 

California law requires every new student be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, mumps, measles, German measles, chicken pox, and Hepatitis B. Students without immunization records must be excluded from attending school. Objection of immunization based on religion or personal beliefs may be discussed with the principal, and a waiver may be granted. As of August 2011, students entering 7th and 8th grade must have received the new Tdap booster within the first 30 days of the start of school. 

Please notify the school of any change of address and/or telephone numbers, including other adults listed as emergency contacts. In case of an emergency, updated information is critical. 

Parents may request to review individual records by making a request to the principal (Ed. Code 49063). A parent has the right to receive a copy of his/her child's permanent records, review them, and request changes in types of data kept. The parent also has the right to challenge the content of the record. 

Daily school attendance is the first step in helping children to do their best. When children miss school, they miss valuable learning time. Because our first order of business each morning is an all-school flag salute and important announcements, it is imperative that all students be on time every day. In addition, school districts are funded based on Average Daily Attendance, not the number of students who are enrolled. Our district attendance has gone from approximately 98% to 93% due to a high number of absences, and this greatly affects the amount of money the schools get to operate from the state. We appreciate your cooperation in improving this percentage.

A student who is late in excess of thirty (30) minutes will be considered tardy. Three tardies will be considered one day absent. Tardy students must check in at the school office.

Daily attendance records are kept on each student in the Winship-Robbins Elementary School District. We attempt to contact the parents of all students who are absent each day. After the first 45 days of enrollment, all students who have 15% excused absences could receive a letter requesting medical verification for all future absences. Please call and send a note for every day your child is absent.

Parents who wish to sign their child out of school before dismissal time must report to the office. The office will send for the child and the parent will be required to sign the child out. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE CHILD’S CLASSROOM. If you wish to visit a classroom, please get prior authorization from the teacher. Then, sign in and receive a Visitor's Pass in the office.

When possible, please make dentist and doctor appointments after school. If you find it necessary to check your student out for medical or personal appointments, please try doing so in the afternoon, to avoid missing core instructional time in ELA and math.

State law (Ed. Code 49403) requires that children must be excluded from school for these reasons:

1. Contagious health problems
2. Lack of immunization
3. Parents may contact the school or county public health department on communicable diseases such as chicken pox, pink eye, or hepatitis if unsure of when students may return to school. Head lice causes children to miss important class time if not cleared up right away. Parents are expected to treat, remove all eggs (nits) and return the pupil to school the next day.

• Appearance in court
• Attendance of a funeral
• Observance of religious holiday
• Attendance of religious retreat

An excused absence must be requested, in writing, to the principal prior to the activity.

• Babysitting
• Missed the bus/no transportation
• Went shopping
• Overslept; forgot the alarm
• Went hunting or fishing
• No clean clothes to wear
• No shoes
• Child's birthday
• Child stayed home to work
• Kept child home to visit with relatives who are in town
• Didn't want child to go on a field trip
• Thought it was a holiday

Also, students who have a medical or dental appointment should not have to miss the balance of the day unless they are too ill to return to school.

Extended Illness (Ed. Code 48207)
Please contact the school as soon as possible to make arrangements if your child's illness causes him/her to miss three or more days of school. Parents may make arrangements for school and/or homework as needed.

Home/hospital instruction is available upon the joint request of the parent and the physician.

Short-term and long-term independent study is available through contracts with the parent, teacher and child.

Truancy
Any student who is absent from school (unexcused) more than 3 days is legally a truant. A fourth unexcused absence will start the Student Attendance Review Board procedures:

1. The fourth unexcused absence will result in a warning letter.
2. The fifth unexcused absence will result in the second letter and a conference.
3. The sixth unexcused absence results in the final warning letter attempting to improve the student's attendance.
4. A seventh unexcused absence results in referral to the SARB. Parents and students are required to appear before the Student Attendance Review Board to work out the truancy situation. Continued truancy may result in legal action.

When Notes To School Are Necessary
Please send a not signed by the parent or guardian whenever:

• Your child has been absent from school; please include the reason for the absence and the date(s) of the absence
• Your child has a medical or dental appointment during the school day
• You or a doctor is excusing your child from P.E.
• Your child wants to get off the bus at a stop other than the regular stop
• Your child usually rides the bus, but is to be excused from riding the bus home in the afternoon walks to any other place except home, or rides with anyone except his/her own parents (this person must be named on the registration card as authorized to own parents (this person must be named on the registration card as authorized to pick up the child from school)
• Travels to and from school by a means other than the school bus

Students who plan to walk or ride bikes to and from school every day may bring one note that will be good for the whole year.