Attendance

If your child is absent, late, sick, or will be picked up early, please email washingtonattendance@berkeley.net.

For our children to succeed and our community to thrive, it’s critical for all students to be at school – on time, each day.

The first bell rings at 8:10 each morning, and students should be seated in class and ready to learn at 8:15.

If your child is tardy (arriving in class between 8:15 and 8:45), he or she may go directly to class and will be marked tardy by the teacher. Children arriving after 8:45 are considered late and need to stop by the office first for a late slip. Please note that 3 lates (arriving after 8:45 am) are equivalent to an absence and may result in a referral to the Student Attendance Review Team (SART) and if the problem continues to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), which has the power to refer cases to the district attorney.

If you need to pick up your child early, please stop by the office first. Please try to schedule medical and other appointments outside school hours.

If your child is absent for any reason, please email washingtonattendance@berkeley.net and copy your child’s teacher. When reporting your child's absence, please provide their full name, teacher's name, room number, and the reason for the absence.

Short-term Independent Study

The following is the policy from the BUSD Parent Handbook:

Short-term Independent Study for a period of more than 21 calendar days must be requested in writing, indicating 1) the reason for the request, 2) the date of departure, and 3) the date of return. The request must be submitted to the Director of Student Services for consideration. For planned absences, short-term Independent Study may be approved on a case by case basis by the Principal. Completion of Independent Study provides the opportunity for continued learning and allows the District to collect ADA funds for students with planned absences; however, it is not a comparable substitute for classroom instruction and should be approved by the Principal only after careful consideration of the reasons for the planned absence.

Q: Can I get an Independent Study contract while we’re on vacation for a week so my child doesn’t fall behind or be considered truant?

A: Berkeley has a very strict policy regarding these requests: vacations or other family trips are generally not eligible for Independent Study, with some exceptions possible for periods of more than 21 days of absence.

Note: The District discourages families from taking vacations at times that cause students to be absent from school and will not approve Independent Study for purposes of vacations or other family trips that are not urgent.