Child Welfare, Attendance & Safety
The district places high importance on students' regular school attendance. It’s a fact that students who attend school regularly learn more and are more successful in school than students who do not. One of the six pillars of Character Counts! that we teach our students is responsibility. Parents who make regular school attendance a priority also help their children learn to accept responsibility, which is such an important lesson for a successful life.
Attendance patterns are formed early in life. Children who develop good attendance habits in the early grades will be likelier to continue them throughout their school careers. Research shows that chronic absence in kindergarten and first grade strongly predicts poor academic performance by grade five.
So, let's get our kids to school every day!
Make Every Day Count
Our goal this year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly.
Showing up for school greatly impacts a student’s academic success, starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in ensuring students get to school safely daily and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and life.
We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. However, we also know that when students miss school too much – regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your child is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent, which means missing 18 or more days over an entire school year. Research shows:
- Children chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of third grade.
- Chronic absence by sixth grade is a proven early warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school.
- By ninth grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than eighth-grade test scores.
Absences can add up quickly. A child is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month!
Going to school regularly matters!
We don’t want your child to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:
- Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Ensure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick.
- Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
- Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about attending school.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. If necessary, call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.
Let us know how we can best support you and your children so they can attend school on time daily. We want your child to be successful in school! If you have any questions or need more information, please get in touch with your child’s school.
Please be advised that your child’s school may request a member of our attendance staff to make a home visit to speak with you should your child’s absences and/or tardies become excessive.
We strive to give you the information you need to make well-informed decisions for the rights, safety, and well-being of TCSD parents and students. We want your educational experience to be positive and rewarding.
Your children are very important to us, and we will continually strive to keep them safe both on and off campus. We urge you to help by stressing safety at all times. Please talk to your child about making choices that will help keep him or her safe.
Emergency Information
General Safety Guidelines
We want to make a few suggestions:
- If your child is a bus student and does not arrive home at the usual time, call your child’s school.
- If your child walks home and does not arrive at the usual time, even after you have contacted friends, relatives, neighbors, etc., please call your child’s school. Do not let a long period of time lapse.
- Know your child’s friends' names, addresses, and phone numbers.
- Update all your emergency information with the school office.
- Teach your child their first and last name (not just nickname), phone number, and address.
- Label your child’s clothing.
- Talk to your child about not talking to strangers or accepting rides with strangers. Make certain he/she understands what a “stranger” is.
- If your child brings home a friend, please ensure you have contacted his or her parents and that they know you have their child.
- Urge your child to wear a bicycle helmet. A properly fitted helmet can help prevent serious head injury. Helmets are required by law to be worn by riders 0-18 years of age. We will only permit students in grades 4-8 to ride their bikes to school. We urge parents to review bicycle safety laws with their children. If we observe students not following bicycle safety regulations, we may revoke the right to ride their bicycles to school.
- When delivering and picking up your child at school, please drive slowly and carefully through the parking lots and around the school. Use designated parking areas—not the bus lanes or other non-designated areas.
- Insist that your child use the crosswalk. Set a good example by using it yourself when crossing streets. Please do not wave for children to cross the street where crosswalks are unavailable.
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(559) 685-7227
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(559) 685-7222
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Supervisor Safety
(559) 687-1672
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As an additional safety precaution, we have a closed campus policy. Please read more about it below:
- TCSD Closed Campus Policy
- SPRIGEO Anti-Bullying Information/Reporting
- Cyberbullying
- Bullying Prevention Training
- Social Media Helpline
- Walking Safety Tips
- Protect Your Everyday - See Something Say Something
- Homeless and Foster Services
- School Safety is a Priority
- Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
- Injury & Illness Prevention Program
- Heat Illness Prevention Plan