Good Attendance is important for many reasons. Your child receives the maximum benefit of education by being in school every day, and numerous studies show a strong link between academic performance and consistent attendance. Because attendance is so critical for the quality of your child’s education, the State of Texas has a Compulsory Attendance Law. In accordance with Chapter 25 of the Texas Education Code, to receive credit or a final grade in a class, a student must attend at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered. A student who attends fewer than 90 percent of the days the class is offered will be referred to the Attendance Committee to determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the absences and how the student can regain credit or a final grade lost because of the absences. Attendance is taken and recorded daily at 10:00 A.M.
Although perfect attendance is the goal, it is not always possible. School districts are required to excuse student absences under certain circumstances. For a list of State approved excused absences, as well as other attendance laws, please see the Attendance & Truancy Documents from Texas Education Code. In addition, it is very important to turn in a medical excuse or a parent note to receive credit for an excused absence. There are penalties for too many unexcused absences. Under state law, parents are held responsible for unexcused absences.