Attendance is vitally important to our children’s educational growth and future development. Students in all grade levels are subject to compulsory attendance laws. (Texas Education Code 25.085) State law requires that students must be in attendance for a minimum of 90% of the instructional days per year in order to be promoted. This means a child is allowed no more than 18 absences in a year and no more than 9 absences in a semester. Thus, we encourage you to carefully monitor your child’s absences.
School begins at 8:00 am and students are counted tardy after 8:00 am. If a student arrives after 9:00 am, he/she is counted absent for the day.
After 8:30 am, a parent should accompany the child into the building to document the reason for the tardy at the front desk. It is the parent’s responsibility to sign-in the student. Students with excessive tardies or early dismissals may be subject to administrative action. Remember, excessive tardies and early dismissals impact student achievement as there is a reduction in the amount of instructional time available to the student.
An absence is an absence. Although there is no distinction between excused or unexcused, a note explaining each absence is required. When a child is tardy or absent due to a dental or medical appointment, and a note from the physician is provided to the school, then the absence is coded “Health Care Provider (HCP)”. It is not reported as an absence on the report card if the student returns to school on the same day as the appointment. If an illness results in absences longer than three days, a note from a health care provider is requested.
Parents of students at Houser Elementary will be notified when their child has had more than five absences. Parents will be issued a second letter once their child misses an additional five school days and a parent conference will be requested. If a student accumulates absences in excess of fifteen, a third letter will be issued and further action may be taken.
Texas Education Agency requires Houser Elementary to report all students who are absent 18 or more days or parts of days per school year. Each tardy or early release is considered a ‘part of the day’. Also, Houser Elementary may file a judicial complaint on a child’s parent(s) for failing to comply with the compulsory attendance laws. Further, 18 or more absences could result in the child not being promoted to the next grade. Your child must be in class to ensure success in learning.
