Attendance

Lorena Ramirez
P: (626) 396-5880 x84090
F: (626) 791-5276
E: ramirez.lorena@pusd.us

If your student will be absent from school, please contact the Attendance Office.

Per California Education Code Section 48260, any student subject to compulsory education, who is absent from school without a valid excuse for three full days, is truant. Education Code Section 48260 also states that any student who is 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, is truant. Only absences for personal, physical, medical illness, doctor/dentist appointments, bereavement, court hearings, observance of a holiday or religious ceremony are considered excused by California Education Code.

The Pasadena Unified School District considers 10 or more excused absences or 10 or more tardies of less than 30 minutes during a school year excessive.

Students that are truant or have an excess of excused absences or tardies will be referred to the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) which will request parent and student participation in a hearing and/or mediation process involving District and juvenile court officials.

How to clear an absence:

Per Pasadena Unified School District Administrative Regulation 5113, parents are responsible for informing the school attendance clerk of the reason for the student’s absence. The student’s absence will be recorded as unexcused if the parent does not provide a note with the reason for the absence or notify the school in person or by telephone of the reason for the absence. If the school is not provided with an acceptable reason (per Education Code Section 48205) for the student’s absence within five days of the student’s return to school, the absence will remain on the student’s attendance record as unexcused.

Students who have been absent must bring a signed note* to the attendance office from a parent/guardian which contains the information listed below.  The attendance office will verify a random sample of the notes received.

• Student name and ID number
• Reason for absence
• Day(s) of absence
• Accurate contact number to verify note with parent/guardian

Please note that we are unable to release your child from school over the phone. All requests for release must be emailed to ramirez.lorena@pusd.us. There are no exceptions. 

In addition, you must present a valid form of government identification (state DL/ID, passport, CAC card, etc.) when picking up the student.

*A note may be sent through e-mail or faxed as long as it contains the above information and can be verified. Notes may be faxed to (626) 791-5276 or emailed to Lorena Ramirez at ramirez.lorena@pusd.us.