Attendance Information
Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of our most frequently asked attendance questions. If you do not find a question you have answered below, please reach out to your campus Attendance Clerk and they will be happy to assist you.
- How do I report my student’s absence?
- Why is my child receiving an attendance letter?
- I sent in a hand-written note for my student, why is his/her absence still unexcused?
- What classifies as an excused absence?
- Why is my student counted absent when I brought them to school after the official attendance time?
- Why is a death in the immediate family considered an unexcused absence?
- If my student attends every Saturday for recovery attendance, why am I still receiving a truancy letter?
- If my child misses the bus will their absence be excused?
- What happens after I have called in my student’s absence? Is that sufficient enough?
- What happens if I forget to call my student’s absence in on the day of their absence?
- How many Excused absences can my student have in one school year?
- What if my student is absent, can I request for homework to be sent home for them to make up?
- Will Tardies and Early dismissals count against my student?
How do I report my student’s absence?
We now have an attendance hotline providing a way to quickly leave a message with a campus Attendance Clerk. Please call 817-306-4202 to report your child’s absence. You can also continue to call your campus directly, and send any doctor or parent notes along with your student.
Why is my child receiving an attendance letter?
Your child may be receiving an attendance letter if they have missed 3 or more days of school within a 4-week period. These letters are to help you see how your student’s attendance is looking. If something is inaccurate, we urge you to contact your campus Attendance Clerk to see what steps will be needed to correct the attendance. We are required by TEA and the Texas Education Code 25.095 to send out these notices.
I sent in a hand-written note for my student, why is his/her absence still unexcused?
Per TEA and the Texas Education Code Sec. 25.087, we are unable to excuse a parent note. Your student having an unexcused absence for being ill, will less likely result in negative consequences. We do understand that illnesses arise and we appreciate you keeping your student home if they are ill.
What classifies as an excused absence?
Per Texas Education Code Sec. 25.087, the only absences that can be Excused with documentation are listed below:
- Temporary absences resulting from an appointment with health care professionals
- Religious holy days
- Required court appearances
- Students applying for U.S. Citizenship
- Students taking part in a U. S. naturalization oath ceremony
- Students serving as an election clerk
- Court ordered activities for those students under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
- A student who has a legal guardian that is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called for duty, is on leave from, or immediately returned for continuous deployment of at least four months outside of where the parent/guardian resides (Can not be earlier than the 60th day before deployment OR later than the 30th day after the date of return from deployment)
- Student of at least 17 years old pursuing enlistment in a branch of thee armed services of the United States or the Texas National Guard (No more than 4 days through high school enrollment)
- A student in grades 6 through 12 for the purpose of sounding “Taps” as a military honors funeral held in this state for the deceased veteran.
Why is my student counted absent when I brought them to school after the official attendance time?
Attendance is taken each day at a specific time per campus. TEA wants to know if your student was present at that time. If your student is not present at the official attendance time your student is absent in TEA’s eyes. Essentially, they take a “picture” of the attendance at that time. Whoever is in the picture is counted present and those who are not will be absent. If your student was late due to a medical appointment turn in the documentation and the campus Attendance Clerk can correct the attendance for you.
Why is a death in the immediate family considered an unexcused absence?
We are deeply sorry to hear about your family’s loss. We encourage you to reach out to your student’s school and ask to speak with one of the counselors to see how we can better support your student while they are on campus. A tragic event like this for the family will be less likely to result in a negative consequence. Our district strictly follows the guidelines given through TEA and Texas Education Code Sec. 25.087
If my student attends every Saturday for recovery attendance, why am I still receiving a truancy letter?
A student who has been assigned Saturday School is there to help meet the requirements of being proficient in the classes they are taking in order to gain credit for completion. Saturday School is a way to make sure your student who has been truant still has a chance at successfully completing their courses. Truancy still can be enforced if your student continuously misses out on school during the week.
If my child misses the bus will their absence be excused?
Unfortunately, if your student missed the bus and does not attend school they will be counted as an unexcused absent. You may still request work for your student so they do not fall behind in class.
What happens after I have called in my student’s absence? Is that sufficient enough?
While we highly encourage you to keep open communication about your student’s attendance, we will still be requesting some documentation for when your student returns to campus. If your student was out due to an illness and they saw a medical professional send the note in with them the next day and their attendance will be updated. If your student did not see a medical professional but you kept them home due to an illness, please send in a parent note and we will update the Unexcused absence to show they were out due to an illness. Please remember this will NOT change the absence to an excused absence, however, it is less likely to result in negative consequences.
What happens if I forget to call my student’s absence in on the day of their absence?
You can always call us the next day to let us know your student was absent. You may also send a note with them. Please remember, a parent note will not be an Excused absence. If your student was out due to illness, it is less likely to result in negative consequences.
How many Excused absences can my student have in one school year?
We encourage you to follow the state compulsory attendance rate of 90%. Texas Education Code Sec. 25.085. That being said, students should not miss more than a combined absence total of 18 days for the entire school year. This absence total includes excused as well. Students who do not meet the compulsory attendance rate of 90% are at risk of not being proficient in their course work. This can lead to retention if your student has not mastered the course work. Texas Education Code Sec. 25.092
What if my student is absent, can I request for homework to be sent home for them to make up?
Yes! We highly encourage you to reach out to your student’s teacher(s) and request any work they may be missing. You can always log on to our Family Access Portal to keep up to date on grades, attendance and any other information that may be going out from your student’s campus. If you need help with accessing the Family Portal, please reach out to your student’s campus to gain your login information.
Will Tardies and Early dismissals count against my student?
Too many Tardies and Early dismissals can hinder the progress your student is making in class. We highly encourage you to have your student attend school on time and stay all day as much as possible. We do understand that things come up and you may need to have your child picked up early for appointments. Just bring back documentation and we will be happy to correct your student’s attendance. Keep in mind an early release/tardy for a personal reason will be unexcused.
