School Attendance Influences Student Success
Absences add up, lost time in the classroom is a lost opportunity to learn. Please schedule appointments late in the day and vacations or family trips during District holidays. Having your student in school as frequently as possible positively impacts your student’s academic and social performance as well as resources made available to the school(s).
Effects of chronic absences
Students with good attendance can make academic gains and is an essential strategy for reducing achievement gaps. Chronic absences throughout a student’s academic career have shown:
- Poor attendance in the first month of school can predict chronic absences for the entire year,
- Absenteeism in Kindergarten can affect whether a child develops the grit and perseverance needed to succeed in school,
- Absenteeism in preschool and kindergarten can influence whether a child will be held back in third grade,
- As early as grade 6, absenteeism in middle and high school can predict dropout rates,
- Absenteeism influences, not just chances for graduating but also for completing college – only 11 percent of the chronically absent students who graduated from high school made it to the second year of college, compared to 51 percent of students with better high school attendance records*,
- A lack of certain social skills, including a child’s ability to pay attention, work independently, adapt to change and persist in tasks may be a result of chronic absenteeism, and
- To slow down instruction for the entire class as the teacher spends time catching up the student that was absent.
National testing data* shows that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, a result that holds true at every age, in every demographic group, and in every state and city tested.
District Attendance Policy
We look forward to seeing your child in school every day. However, if an absence is unavoidable, it’s important to be familiar with the District’s attendance policy.
A parent, or legal guardian, must provide an explanation for any absence upon the student’s arrival or return to school. The student’s parent or guardian must communicate with the school the reason for the student’s absence through a written note, signed by the parent or guardian, phone call, email, or through an approved district method of communication. This communication must be received by the school within five days of the student’s return to school.
The following absences will be marked “excused”:
- Death of an immediate family member.
- Personal Illness
- Illness, that results in five or more consecutively missed days of school. Absences of five or more days of school require a note from a doctor or healthcare clinic submitted to the school office within five days of the student’s return to school,
- Absences due to school-related or approved events may be allowed per Board Policy (FEA)
There are some additional reasons for an absence that would not be marked as unexcused and are allowed by district and TEA policy. When parents/guardians communicate with the school about their student’s absence, they must be explicit in the reason for the absence. Allowed reasons for absences are:
- Career Investigation (Jr/Sr year only and preapproved)
- Citizenship proceedings or requirements
- US naturalization oath ceremony
- Required court appearance
- College/University Visit (Jr/Sr year Only)
- Driver’s License or learner’s permit appointments (at least 15 years of age)
- Appointments related to the conservatorship of the DFPS
- Healthcare appointments
- Healthcare for mental health and substance abuse treatment
- School-Related Absence (ie. field trips, band or athletic events)
- Serving as an election clerk (at least 16 years of age)
- Homebound
- In-School Suspension
- Life-Threatening Illness
- Military family visits
- Military recruitment or enlistment
- Religious Holy Day
- TAPS at Funeral (grades 6-12)
- Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- State or district-required testing
- Work-Based Learning (Secondary Only)
Unexcused absences will be assessed for truancy measures on a case-by-case basis with consideration for the educational value, length, and frequency of trips and in the case of non-immediate family member deaths.
The State of Texas mandates a process for truancy prevention, beginning when a student has three unexcused absences within four weeks. Truancy is defined as unexcused or non-approved absences from school on 10 or more days within a six-month period in the same school year for reasons that are not allowed or approved per district policy. Truancy prevention measures include the following steps.
Three unexcused absences within four weeks:
- Parents are sent an automatically generated letter and/or notification, informing them of the unexcused absences and emphasizing the need for school attendance. Parents are also encouraged to contact the school counselor or administrator with any concerns.
Six unexcused absences within six months:
- The school administrator will establish an Attendance Intervention Plan with the student and parent/guardian, and
- Possible involvement of district attendance officer.
Ten unexcused absences within six months:
- An automatically generated letter and/or notification is sent to parents informing them of the unexcused absences and the potential truancy process,
- The Student Attendance Plan is revisited with the student and a parent/guardian by school administration,
A home visit may be scheduled, and - Involvement of attendance officer and/or escalation of truancy case to court, with a possibility of fines between $100 and $500.
If a parent/guardian has questions or concerns regarding their child’s attendance they are encouraged to contact the school office, campus counselor, administrator, or attendance officer.
For more information on student absences, refer to the absence and attendance section in the District’s Student-Parent Handbook.
*(Source: attendanceworks.org)