OXNARD : School Cracks Down on Absenteeism

The Oxnard Union High School District Board of Education on Wednesday voted to allow teachers at Oxnard High to give a failing grade to any student with 20 unexcused absences in one semester.

Principal Daisy Tatum at Oxnard High asked for the change as a means of discouraging students from cutting class or not showing up at all, said Gary Davis, the district’s assistant superintendent.

The policy is already in place at Rio Mesa and Hueneme high schools.

“You and I know that if you miss too many classes, it will affect your grade,” Hueneme Principal Joanne Black said. “But I think kids need something a little more concrete and everybody can add up to 20.”

The idea is to show students there are consequences for being absent, Black said. Last year, Hueneme sent an advisory to parents after a student had 10 absences, but the correspondence failed to curtail the problem, she said.

“We may decide that 20 is too many,” Black said. “But attendance is crucial.”