Attendance

To report an absence by email:

(include student name, grade, date(s) and reason for absence)

EMAIL: HMSATTENDANCE@TUSTIN.K12.CA.US

Or call: (714)730-7348 extension 82777

If you need to pick up your student early, please send a note to the front office before first period or email us at the address above

Attendance Guidelines

It is one of our goals to make every effort to preserve instructional minutes and keep classroom interruptions to a minimum. Please support your student in following these attendance guidelines:

• Early dismissal: Should a student need to be picked up during the school day, please send him/her to school with a note stating the specific time they will be leaving. The note should be brought to the front office before first period and the staff will provide your student with an early dismissal pass. This will avoid the need for staff to send a campus supervisor to the classroom and interrupting instruction.
• End of Day: Students will not be called out of class after 2:20pm without an early dismissal pass. At that point we ask that you wait for the final 2:45pm bell to retrieve your student.
• Reporting Absences: It is the parent’s responsibility to report a student’s absence. Include the student's name, grade, date(s) and reason for absence. There are two ways to report: Call the attendance line at (714) 730-7348 x82777, or send an email to HMSattendance@tustin.k12.ca.us.
• Attendance inquiries: If you received an absence call in error, check the Aeries Parent Portal to locate which class marked an absence. Send an email to the teacher regarding the absence, or talk to the teacher the next day. The teacher will notify the Attendance Office to make any corrections. Please do not call the Attendance Office prior to contacting the teacher. The office cannot change teacher attendance records without teacher permission.

ON CAMPUS SCHOOL DAY

"DURING ON-CAMPUS SCHOOL DAYS"-The school day at Hewes is from 8:15 am to 2:48 p.m., on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday, the school day is from 9:15 a.m. to 2:44 p.m. Students are requested to arrive no earlier than 8:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on Wednesdays) and stay no later than 2:48 p.m., unless participating in supervised activities.

Regular attendance is essential to school success. Students are not allowed to participate in extra-curricular activities if they have not been present 4 periods or more on the same day.

EXCUSED/UNEXCUSED ABSENCES & TARDIES

The only excused absences/tardies are for court dates, a doctor and/or medical appointment, death in the immediate family, family emergency, illness, and religious activities. Every unexcused absence may jeopardize a student’s grades. A phone call, email or written note from parent/guardian with date(s) and reason for absence needs to be presented to the office. Any absence not cleared will be marked “cut” and may result in a truancy letter.

A student is considered tardy when he/she is not in his/her seat when the bell rings. Students arriving late to school must report to the front office prior to reporting to class. A tardy slip will be issued. A pattern of unexcused tardies will result in progressive discipline, including after school detention. After the third tardy in any class receives a BIR (Behavior Intervention Referral). Fourth Tardy in any class receives a major referral and automatic after school detention.

EARLY DISMISSAL/RELEASE PROCEDURES

If a student needs to be dismissed early, the office should be notified by a parent note before school, stating who will pick up the student and at what time. This is to ensure that teachers are notified and to avoid class interruptions. The parent/guardian must sign the student out before leaving campus. During the school day, students may only be released to people who are over the age of 18 and have been listed on the student’s emergency card. This is for the protection of all students. Students will not be called from class until the parent has arrived. *If a parent note has not been received prior to 2:20pm, a student will not be called out of class due to the end of the day school protocols.

INDEPENDENT STUDY CONTRACTS

Independent Study Contracts may be requested when a student will be missing 5 or more consecutive days of school. A parent/guardian must meet with an Administrator/designee five school days prior to scheduled leave of absence to request an Independent Study Contract. The administrator determines whether or not an Independent Study Contract will be approved. A prearranged excused absence shall be a minimum of 5 consecutive school days and cannot exceed 3 weeks. When circumstances justify a longer time, the Administrator may extend the maximum length of an assignment to a period not to exceed 8 weeks, under a written request with justification.

Independent Study Contracts will not be authorized the first two (2) weeks nor the last two (2) weeks of school.

For more information please visit the Tustin Unified School District Website: https://tustink12caus.finalsite.com/departments/student-services/attendance

“Go” For Outstanding Attendance!

The Tustin Unified School District (TUSD) is partnering with Data Impressions & Microsoft to highlight students who model outstanding attendance. Data Impressions and Microsoft have generously donated 30 Microsoft Surface Go (or similar) devices to continue the TUSD attendance incentive program into a fifth year! One computer will be given away at the end of the school year at every school site in TUSD.  All students who maintain outstanding daily attendance at TUSD’s schools will have a chance to win!

Program Details/Rules/Eligibility:

Detalles del programa / Reglas / Elegibilidad:

All participants in the program must be students who attend one of TUSD’s thirty schools in the 2026-2027 school year.

• To be eligible for an entry in the lottery, a student must have a “outstanding” daily attendance throughout the year: August 13, 2026 through April 17, 2027.
• The only absences that will keep a student eligible for the drawing will be school business absences (school related field trips, athletics, activities) or religious affiliated absences. Discipline related absences including excessive tardiness to class or school (more than 6 total instances) or a suspension of any kind would disqualify a student from the drawing.
• A list of students who remain eligible for the drawing will be available in the main office at each school end of each quarter. A final list of eligible students will be posted in the main office or attendance office of each school one week prior to the drawing. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their own eligibility and to resolve any discrepancies with the school attendance office/main office at least three days prior to the drawing.
• Drawings for the donated devices will take place at each school site beginning May 11, 2020. Each winning student will receive their device from their Principal following the drawing at their school.