Student Supports

School attendance is necessary for our students to achieve at high levels. Education code mandates compulsory school attendance between the ages of 6 and 18. Students are considered truant when they have missed more than 30 minutes of instruction without a valid excuse three times during the course of a school year. Education Code identifies which reasons a student shall be excused from school: 

1. due to his or her illness,
2. due to quarantine under the direction of a county or city health officer,
3. for the purpose of having medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic services rendered,
4. for the purpose of attending the funeral services of a member of his or her immediate family, so long as the absence is not more than one day if the service is conducted in California and not more than three days if the service is conducted outside of California,
5. for justifiable personal reasons, including, but not limited to, an appearance in court, observance of a holiday or ceremony of his or her religion, attendance at religious retreats, when the pupil’s absence has been requested in writing by the parent or guardian and approved by the principal,
6. attendance at an education conference on the legislative or judicial process offered by a nonprofit organization.

The School District provides support through the School Attendance Review Team which meets weekly with students and their parents with school attendance problems. The purpose of these meetings are to develop plans to improve the attendance of the student and reduce the number of referrals to the East County School attendance Review Board and the Juvenile Justice System.

Throughout the school year many children in our school district will be hospitalized or have an extended illness. To assist this special group of students, the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District has a Home/Hospital Teaching Program. To qualify the student must be registered at a school within our district boundaries and anticipate an absence of ten days or longer. A physician’s request form is required. 

When you become aware that your child’s health status may necessitate an extended school absence, please notify the school secretary or school nurse. If you have additional questions call (619) 668-5700 x6208.

Six Registered Nurses with School Health Credentials are employed with the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District. They each cover multiple schools and programs. The District Nurse strives to strengthen the educational process through improvement of the health status with their knowledge of children and youth. The Health Services Programs are coordinated by Jennifer Coronel, Director of Student Supports. 

Health Screenings School

Health screenings (vision, hearing and oral health) will be conducted at certain grade levels during the year. Parents may file a written statement annually denying consent with the principal of the child’s school. 

When Your Child Is Sick 

When there is good reason to believe that your child is suffering from a recognized contagious or infectious disease, your child may be sent home until symptom-free or cleared to return by a medical provider. Children will not be transported by school bus. (Ed. Code 49403)

The following guidelines should be followed to protect your child and other children from communicable disease:

When should my child stay home and when can they return (Click Here)

The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. The district prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation or bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, marital or parental status, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. Complaints alleging unlawful discrimination may be filed using the district’s Uniform Complaint Procedures. (BP 0410 BP 1312.3)

Health Forms

La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools will be instituting new procedures, effective August 2017.  These procedures were developed to ensure the safety of all of our students in the event of a parent request that their child be picked up by an adult other than themselves.  If anyone other than the student’s custodial parent is picking up a student prior to the end of the school day, BOTH of the following conditions must be met:

• The person picking up the student must be listed as an emergency contact in our student database. 
• The custodial parent must deliver a signed, dated letter notifying the office as to which emergency contact will be picking up the student and the date and time of that pick-up. 

Valid ID must be provided to office personnel prior to student release.

Custodial parents may add individuals to their child’s emergency contact list by visiting the office or contacting the school’s Office Manager or Principal for steps needed to add an individual.

In case of an urgent (emergency) situation only, there are options that can be utilized.

The parent must contact the office by phone to relay the situation and then use one of the following options to provide the school with written notification:  

• fax written notification of the need for an emergency early release pick-up; the fax must include a handwritten and signed note from the parent informing the school of who will be picking up the student.  
• parent may send a picture of a written request for pick-up/early release to the office by e-mail attachment   

Exceptions:

• Students will be released to an authorized law enforcement officer or social services agency professional acting in accordance with the law; or at the direction of the principal to receive emergency medical care.

Access to Student Mental Health Services

The parent or legal guardian of any pupil can access mental health services by contacting their school-site social worker or counselor. School-site social workers/counselors, with the consent of the parent or legal guardian, can determine whether a student’s mental health services can be supported at the school-site or via an outside referral.

The Governing Board respects students’ rights to express themselves in the way that they dress and also believes that appropriate dress and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment. The Board expects students to wear clothing that is suitable for the school activities in which they participate. Students shall not wear clothing that presents a health or safety hazard or is likely to cause a substantial disruption to the educational program.

The District may issue a permit authorizing employment while school is in session to a minor student age 14-17 pursuant to Education Code 51760-51769.5. Permits may also be issued to any minor age 12-17 to be employed during a regular school holiday or during a regular or specified occasional public school vacation. 

If a minor has obtained an offer of employment in the entertainment industry, the work permit shall be requested from the California Department of Labor Relations. A pupil holding  a permit to work in the entertainment or allied industries shall be excused from school for a period not to exceed five consecutive days during the time the student is working and not to exceed five absences per school year.

A 504 Plan is a plan developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.

If you believe your child needs a 504 plan, please contact your school principal.

La Mesa-Spring Valley School District strives to meet the unique social emotional and educational needs of foster youth and those experiencing homelessness by working collaboratively with students, caregivers, schools, placing agencies, and other related agencies.

In San Diego County there are an estimated 22,000 homeless children and youth. The La Mesa- Spring Valley School District ensures every child and  youth experiencing homelessness receives educational rights and protections per the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The term homeless children and youth means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This definition also includes:

• Children and youth who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason
• Children who may be living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or shelters.
• Children and youth who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
• Children and youth who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings, or
• Migratory children who qualify as homeless because they are children who are living in similar circumstances listed above 

LMSV School Site Homeless/Foster Liaisons