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Board approves revised absence policy, removes automatic 10‑day physician‑note trigger
Summary
After extensive public comment from students and teachers worried about chronic absenteeism and equity, the board voted to approve revisions to BP/AR 5113 that remove the automatic 10‑day physician‑note requirement and align the policy with CSBA guidance while retaining the district’s ability to require verification when patterns of absence appear.
The board approved edits to BP/AR 5113 (Absences and Excuses) that eliminate a fixed 10‑day threshold automatically requiring physician verification and instead adopt language aligned with the California School Boards Association model that allows district staff to require physician verification or the district chronic‑illness form when a pattern of excused absences emerges.
Monte Vista student and speaker Ben Mendoza urged the board to retain stronger verification requirements and warned that removing the 10‑day criterion could undermine site‑level accountability. “Eliminating the doctor note requirement after 10 days of personal illness removes accountability and a natural deterrent for students who choose to miss school for non‑illness reasons,” Mendoza told the board.
Several teachers echoed concerns about chronic absenteeism and the practical impacts of widespread excused absences. Teacher Danielle Ulm said research links chronic absenteeism to long‑term academic harm and cautioned that teachers are already bearing the burden of proctoring make‑up work when absences increase.
Superintendent Hammack and district staff said the revised language is meant to provide staff with flexibility to identify and support students with chronic illness or other barriers to attendance and does not remove the district’s ability to request physician verification when warranted. “I don’t see the new language ... taking away our ability to ask for a physician’s note,” Superintendent Hammack said, adding that site teams and attendance support processes will continue.
Trustees discussed implementation and training for attendance clerks and administrators to ensure uniform understanding across sites. The board approved the BP and AR with the proposed changes by motion and voice vote.
Next steps: staff will provide additional training for attendance staff and will bring implementation guidance and communications to sites to explain how pattern‑based verification and MTSS/attendance interventions will be used.
