• Excused absences: These are absences due to the following: a student’s illness, injury, or quarantine under the direction of the City or County Health Office; a student’s medical, dental, optical, or chiropractic appointment; a student’s failure to present evidence of Immunizations (Ed Code 46010); personal counseling, attendance at a funeral of a member of the immediate family; and any absence due to disaster (e.g., earthquake, flood, fire). The parent/guardian must call the Attendance Office to excuse any absence. A doctor’s note, which must be presented to the Attendance Office, is also acceptable as an excused absence.

• Personal Absences – These are absences due to the following: court appearance, religious holiday/ceremony, or studio work. The parent/guardian should notify the Attendance Office in advance either by phone or in writing prior to a personal absence.

• Vacations and other absences not due to illness, or any of the aforementioned reasons, are considered unexcused according to California Education Code.

Parents/guardians should call the Attendance Office, (818) 244-8414, before 9:00 am on the first day of each absence, or they should call Toll’s 24-hour Absence Line, (818) 247- 3980, and leave a message. When calling to excuse an absence, please be prepared to provide the following information: student’s full name, student’s ID number, date(s) of absence, reason for the absence, and the name and relationship of the parent/guardian calling.

If you are unable to make contact with the school, your child MUST bring a signed note from you on the day the student returns to school. The note must include: date of student’s return, student’s full name, student’s ID number, date(s) of absence, reason for the absence, and the signature of the parent/guardian. Any absence not cleared within three (3) school days will be recorded as a TRUANCY*.

*NOTE: A truancy is an unexcused absence, and multiple truancies will result in a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting with a Toll Administrator. If the attendance issues continue, students and families are referred to the District for a Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) meeting.

The student’s parent/guardian should call the Attendance Office or send a written note indicating what time the student will leave school and the reason for the early dismissal (e.g., medical, dental, or other appointments). The student will be called to the Attendance Office. The parent/guardian will need to come to the Attendance Office to sign the student out of school. If possible, avoid picking up students during the lunch recess. However, if students must be picked up during lunch recess, parents/guardians should remind their children to go to the attendance office at the time they are to be picked up. Students will only be released to the parent/guardian or persons whose names are listed on the student’s emergency contact information in Q.

Current phone numbers are required in case of emergencies. Any changes in address or telephone number must be reported to the Attendance Office or Counseling Office immediately. New addresses must be verified by a current utility bill (e.g., telephone, gas, DWP) in the parent’s name. If you move to another school within GUSD or a neighboring district and wish to have your child continue at this school for the remainder of the term, check in with the Attendance Office to obtain detailed district regulations regarding intra- and inter-district permit requirements. Failure to report an address change can risk denial of a permit to attend Toll.

Any students arriving late to school must come to the Attendance Office, sign in, and receive a tardy slip. Parents/guardians should call the Attendance Office or send a note (i.e., doctor’s note or a written note by parent/guardian) with the student to excuse the tardy. Students who are late without an excuse will be marked as such. Please note that tardies will negatively affect citizenship grades. Students who are late for up to 29 minutes will be marked as “Late” and those who are 30 or more minutes late will be marked as “Tardy.”

Students who are absent can check their teachers’ Google Classrooms for homework information. They can also contact a classmate and/or check their teacher’s website for a list of assignments. If a student is absent for more than 3 days, they should email their teacher or contact the Counseling Office for guidance.