Write the days down, tell the school, then ask for a plan.
If your teen is in immediate danger
Call 911 for medical emergencies. Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Virtual IOP and outpatient care are not emergency services — reach emergency help first, then contact us when your teen is safe for non-emergency clinical support.
At Mental Health For Teens, if anxiety is why they are missing school, tell the counselor the same day, write every missed day down, and ask for a plan — not only makeup work. The codes are below.
Education Code
Start today — before the third unexcused day, or the day the first letter arrives.
A note or a call counts. Say the absence is for mental or behavioral health and ask them to code it as illness — not “unexcused parent” or “truant.” If they want a doctor’s note, ask what form they accept and who can sign it.
Ed Code 48260.6Date, hours missed, and why in your words. Panic attack, hospital hold, therapy appointment, or “could not leave the bedroom” all belong on paper. Compare it to the school’s attendance printout — wrong codes are common, and you can challenge the record in writing.
Ed Code 49070Email: excuse the days, allow makeup work, and start a 504, IEP, or SST conversation. Ask for a short written attendance plan with a gradual return. “Just come tomorrow” is not a plan if anxiety is why they cannot walk in. Copy the attendance clerk so the codes and the plan stay together.
Ed Code 48205(b)Challenge wrong records before the meeting. Read any directives — the CDE says they can be enforceable even if you do not sign, as long as you were notified. You do not have to agree to independent study. Ask that a 504 or IEP team member sit in if disability is why they are out.
CDE SARB FAQAttach what you already have. One email is enough — you do not need a formal packet.
Districts use different letter names. The sequence is usually the same. Confirm the labels with your school.
If you only remember two: mental-health days can be excused, and independent study cannot be forced.
Education Code 48320–48321 created SARB to keep stuck attendance cases out of juvenile court until school and community resources are used. It is a school-and-community panel, not the first phone call. It can still refer a case further if directives are ignored. Confirm how your district runs it.
Truancy is unexcused time — three full days, or 30-plus minutes on three days. Chronic absenteeism is missing 10 percent of the year for any reason, excused or not. Anxiety days you reported as illness should not be truancy. They can still show up as chronic absence. Ask which list your teen is on.
Education Code 48205(a)(1) excuses absence due to illness, including for the pupil’s mental or behavioral health. You still have to notify the school. A clinician letter helps. Excused days keep makeup-work rights. They do not restore attendance funding — CDE says no absence generates ADA money.
The CDE tells SARB staff to include an IEP or 504 team member when disability may be why the student is out. If the real issue is placement or accommodations, those teams should lead — not a truancy contract. Ask for that meeting in writing, even if a SARB letter already arrived.
The CDE SARB FAQ: a student cannot be involuntarily assigned to independent study. If they stop making progress there, they should return to regular class. Do not sign a transfer you did not choose. If they already did, you can ask to reverse it.
Many excused absences can mean a temporary disability for physical, mental, or emotional reasons (Education Code 48206.3). After you notify the district, it has working days — not weeks — to decide on individualized instruction. That is not the same as parking them on independent study.
Mental Health For Teens is virtual IOP and outpatient for California teens ages 12–17. We treat the anxiety or depression that is keeping them out. We are not the district, and we are not a lawyer.
Step 1 · Emergency first
Step 2 · Structured support
Step 3 · When clinically appropriate
A treatment plan is not a SARB contract.
If they are safe enough for scheduled care, we can map virtual IOP or outpatient and write the clinician letter the school needs. If they are not safe tonight, call 911 or 988. Confirm attendance rules with your district — this is not legal advice.
Straight answers about teen mental health care, programs, and insurance — not a substitute for professional assessment.
A School Attendance Review Board — school staff plus community members who meet on stuck attendance or behavior. Education Code 48320–48321 created it as a safety net after the campus has already tried help. Confirm how your district runs it. This is not legal advice.
SART is usually a school-site attendance meeting. SARB is the district or county board after those interventions. Names vary. Ask your counselor which meeting the letter is for and who will be in the room.
Education Code 48205(a)(1) excuses absence due to illness, including for the pupil’s mental or behavioral health. You still have to notify the school. Districts set how they verify illness. A clinician letter helps. Confirm with your attendance clerk.
Truancy is unexcused time — three full days, or more than 30 minutes late or gone on three days (Education Code 48260). Chronic absenteeism is missing 10 percent of the year for any reason. Excused anxiety days should not be truancy. They can still count toward chronic absence.
Education Code 48263 does not set a minimum. The parent must be notified at first truancy, and the school must try to hold at least one meeting before habitual truancy. Most districts send three or four letters. The CDE says the real test is whether the school tried help.
The panel reviews attendance, what the school already tried, and what the family needs. It can issue written directives — counseling, an attendance plan, a 504 or IEP referral. It is supposed to connect resources, not punish first. Confirm the agenda with your district. This is not legal advice.
Yes, in writing to the superintendent (Education Code 49070). The CDE tells SARB chairs to try to settle record disputes before the hearing. Bring your dated list and any clinician letters.
Not involuntarily. The California Department of Education’s SARB FAQ states a student cannot be involuntarily assigned to independent study. If they are not progressing there, they should return to regular class. Do not sign a transfer you did not choose.
Education Code 48206.3 covers temporary disability for physical, mental, or emotional reasons when regular class is not possible. After you notify the district, it has working days to decide eligibility and start instruction. Ask for that decision in writing. It is not the same as independent study.
The CDE says directives do not need your signature to be enforceable if the board can show you were notified. Refusing to sign is not the same as refusing to read them. Challenge wrong attendance records in writing first (Education Code 49070).
The CDE says a meeting can be held without you if you were notified. Directives can still be issued. Ask to reschedule in writing if you cannot attend. Confirm local practice with your district.
Not as a first move. Safety comes before attendance. Call 911 or 988 if they are not safe tonight. Ask the discharging clinician and the counselor before a full return. See our after-hold page if they just left a hospital.
No. It is a parent guide citing the California Education Code and the CDE SARB FAQ. Laws and district handbooks change. Ask your district, and a lawyer if the case is heading to court.
Free consultation for virtual IOP or outpatient. We can write a clinical letter. We cannot replace SARB or 911.
