Attendance Office
Attendance Policy
The Texas Compulsory School Attendance Law requires that a student between the ages of 6 and 18 attend must attend school each day for the entire period that a school’s program of instruction is provided. School employees must investigate, report, and if necessary, prosecute violations of the state compulsory attendance law.
According to the Texas Education Code 21.041, students must be in attendance 90% of the instructional days each semester to receive credit for any class. A student who attends fewer than 90% of the days the class is offered cannot receive credit for the class unless the attendance committee finds that the absences are the result of extenuating circumstances or allow the student to make up the time to restore credit.
Exemptions to Compulsory Attendance
The following are excusable absences with proper documentation.
- Religious holy days
- Required court appearances
- Citizenship
- Medical
- Funeral
- Students in the conservatorship (custody) of the state
For more details see the following topics:
Tardy Violation Consequences
Students who are absent from school for the day, or from any class, without permission from a parent or school official will be considered truant and will be subject to disciplinary action. In addition, a student who is assigned to Thursday Night School and does not attend will be considered truant.
Students who leave campus and fail to be signed out or received proper authorization to leave campus will be considered truant. Absences that occur in conjunction with an unauthorized departure from campus will be considered as unexcused.
If a student accumulates unexcused absences that total three (3) days or parts days in a four (4) week period or ten (10) days or parts of days in a six (6) month period, the student and/or guardian may be prosecuted for violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law.
Prior to having truancy filed the school uses the following schedule for consequences based on tardies, which reset each semester.