Attendance

Attendance


Regular and punctual attendance is the greatest single factor in school success. Texas Compulsory Attendance Law requires students to attend school regularly, unless otherwise exempted by law. It is the responsibility of the parent and student to cooperate and communicate with the school on all attendance matters. The key to high school graduation is strong school attendance and parental involvement. Proper documentation must be provided by the student and/or parent/guardian within 48 hours of the student’s return to school after an absence. See LISD Parent & Student Handbook for complete attendance policy.

Report an Absence

Click on the school link below to submit an absent note for your campus.

Elementary Schools

 

Middle Schools

 

High Schools

 

What to Include in an Absence Note

When submitting an absence note, please include the following in your email:

  • Student Name (legal) & Student ID
  • Student Grade
  • Date of Absence(s)
  • Reason for Absence
  • Attach Doctor/Dentist notes, if applicable

For any additional questions, please contact the campus registrar or attendance clerk.

Excused vs. Unexcused

Whether for full days or parts of day(s), the following information about absences applies:

Excused Absences

Excused absences are not viewed as days a student is entitled to take. Excused absences include, but are not limited to personal illness, funeral/memorial, quarantine, or weather or road conditions that make travel dangerous. Students are required to attend at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered. The student will be required to make up excessive excused absences.

Unexcused Absences

An unexcused absence is any absence that does not meet the definition of an excused absence (examples: personal business, vacation, traffic, car trouble, etc.).

State Approved Non-Absences

The following absences are considered “State Approved Non-Absences” if the proper documentation is provided by the student and/or parent/guardian within two (2) days of the student’s return to school. A “State Approved Non-Absence” is one for which the District still receives funding and the student is marked in the attendance system with a code that is equivalent to present. Students do not accumulate hours.

State Approved Non-Absences include:

Absences for Religious Holy Days

The District shall excuse students from attending school for the purpose of observing religious holy days when it is a tenet of the faith that the student must be absent from school during such time. The District shall excuse the student for days on which the religious holy days are observed and for one day on which the student must travel to and one day on which the student must travel from the site where the holy days will be observed. A written note with a parent signature must be turned in within 48 hours of a student’s return to school to mark the absence as excused. It is preferable for a family to submit the written note prior to the student’s absence.

Absences for Military Dependents

A student whose parent or legal guardian is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or immediately returned from deployment to a combat zone or combat support posting, shall be granted additional excused absences to visit with the student’s parent or legal guardian relative to such leave or deployment of the parent or guardian. See Policy FEA (LEGAL), §25.087 Texas Education Code for additional information.

Other State Approved Absences

Please see Texas Education Code §25.087 for a complete list of state approved excused absences.

Medical Absences

A student may be excused for a temporary (partial day) absence due to an appointment with health care professionals for either the student or the student’s child if the student begins classes or returns to school on the same day of the appointment/treatment.

Tardies

If a student arrives after the start of school, the student must check-in at the attendance office. At the Elementary level, a student is considered tardy if they arrive at school after the start of the school day. If a student is more than one (1) hour late to school, he/she will be marked absent for the entire day. At the Middle School level, a student is considered tardy if they arrive to class after the first ten (10) minutes of the class period. If a student is more than ten (10) minutes late to class, the student is marked absent. At the High School level, a tardy for each class period varies by the campus’ unique bell schedule.

Hours Owed / Make-up Attendance Hours

Any student who does not attend 90 percent of the days a class is offered (excused or unexcused) will be required to make-up attendance hours. Students and/or parents will be notified of the hours a student owes and a plan will be developed with the administration on acceptable ways the student may make-up the hours owed. Please see LISD Board Policy FEC for additional information.

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