The absences will be excused.
Dos Pueblos High School students who walked off campus on Friday won’t receive an unexcused absence, according to Principal Bill Woodard.
Woodard told families that a new state law that went into effect in January applies to students who protested Friday in support of their teachers.
California Education Code 48205 allows high school and middle school students to be excused to participate in a “political and civil event” if they provide prior notification to the school.
The events include, but are not limited to, “voting, poll working, strikes, public commenting, candidate speeches, political or civic forums, and town halls,” Woodard said in an email to families.
“As I tell our students and staff, when you know better, you do better. I am writing to share that this new law would have allowed students to provide prior notification and be excused to participate with parent permission,” Woodard said.
An email from the school last week, before the protest, stated that students would receive an unexcused absence if they returned after lunch.
“Although it is too late for ‘prior notification,’ in the spirit of fairness, if your student participated and you would like to excuse your student for Seminar and Period 2, I will grant an administrative excuse per Ed Code,” Woodard said.
Parents can email the attendance office to notify the school. The district plans to update its Student/Family Handbook to include the new language.
On Friday, several hundred students marched from Dos Pueblos High School to Girsh Park, a nearly two-mile walk, in support of teachers who are locked in a battle over salaries and benefits. They walked out after first period.
Several students spoke at the event, delivering impassioned speeches denouncing the district and in support of teachers.
The salary dispute has hit the students hard. Teachers are no longer writing letters of recommendation, hosting lunchtime clubs or offering tutoring, but they aren’t usually paid for those activities.
David Myers, an attorney and parent of one of the students who led the protest, Aidan Myers, brought the education code to Woodard’s attention.
“I am appreciative for Mr. Woodard’s proactive approach regarding the concerns my son raised last Friday,” he said. “During this entire process, Mr. Woodard has made sure that students felt listened to and he ensured that that they were safe.”
Myers also noted that the excused absences should apply to students who missed the entire day, not just for seminar and Period 2.
“The Education Code allows students to take a full-day absence to attend political and civic events,” Myers said. “It shouldn’t be limited just to the time the students are in actual attendance at the event. Hopefully in the future, the district can take the time to become familiar with what is required of it and properly provide the benefits that the students are entitled to. I feel bad for the students that will be marked absent after lunch when they were not properly advised of their rights last week.”
