Attendance Notes
To ensure your child's attendance is promptly updated, please provide the campus a note within three days of the absence. Notes provided should be written clearly and include the following:
- Student's first and last name
- Date(s) the student was absent
- Reason for absence
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IS NOT A CHOICE, IT IS THE LAW.
The law in the State of Texas requires that a child goes to school.
In accordance with the Texas Family Code §65.002 and the Texas Education Code §25.086, the Compulsory Attendance law states:The state of Texas requires that children who are at least six years old through their nineteenth birthday attend school. State law also requires that a child be five years old by September 1 to enroll in Kindergarten and six years old by September 1 or has been enrolled in first grade, or completed kindergarten in the public schools of another state prior to moving to the District to enroll in first grade. For the pre-kindergarten program, students must be four years old by September 1, of the current school year and meet other eligibility requirements to enroll. A child who is required to attend school shall attend each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided. Once a child is enrolled as a student in prekindergarten or kindergarten, the child must attend school.
TEMPORARY ABSENCE
A child required to attend school may be excused for a temporary absence resulting from any cause acceptable to the teacher, principal, superintendent or school in which the child is enrolled. Education Code §25.087.
NON-ATTENDANCE
Students of compulsory education age are required to be in school. The absence of a child from school on ten or more days or parts of days within a six-month period, without consent of parents, pursuant to Family Code 52.03 (b)(2) is "conduct indicating a need for supervision" under the juvenile Justice System.
A student absent without permission from school, from any class, will be considered truant and subject to disciplinary action, which may include court action.
CONSEQUENCES
If a parent fails to require the child to attend school according to the law, the Attendance/Truancy Coordinator shall warn the parent in writing that attendance is immediately demanded. If, after that warning, the parent fails to requuire the child to attend school as required by law, and the child has an absence, the campus will begin applying truancy prevention measures (TPM) to the student in accordance with Section §25.0915 of the Texas Education Code. If the student continues to demonstrate truancy and or the parent fails to require the student maintain their attendance, the QISD Attendance/Truancy Coordinator may file a referral to court against the parent in county, justice or municipal court of any precinct in the county in which the parent resides or in which the school is located. Texas Education Code §25.093 - Parent Contributing to Nonattendance.
A child's failure to attend school as mandated by law may constitute the offense of Failure to Attend School, which is defined in the Texas Education Code §25.094.
An offense under this section is a Misdemeanor. Every student should be in school and on time. If you are skipping school, you are already breaking the law.
QUESTIONS ABOUT ATTENDANCE AND TRUANCY
- How do I excuse my child when they are ill? The easiest way is to contact the school that your child is ill, to excuse your child. You may also write a note and send it with your child. It is best to call before 10:00 am and excuse your child the day they are sick.
- How many times can I excuse my child? Students must also attend class 90% of the days a class is offered to receive credit or a final grade (regardless of excused absences). For a medical absence, a slip from the medical provider's office confirming the appointment or medical absence must be submitted to the school.
- What is considered an excused absence? State law cites that students are to be in school all day, for every hour. Excused absences include: illness, funerals, and religious holidays. Medical or dental appointments that cannot be scheduled for outside the school day and personal reasons must be cleared by the assistant principal to be counted as an excused absence. Oversleeping or ride problems are not excused under personal reasons.
- What happens if my child is ill for a long period of time or hospitalized? Quinlan ISD makes every effort to assist in maintaining the educational process for an ill student. Please contact your campus office to request homework or other assistance. For extended illnesses Quinlan ISD will assist in an educational plan that will support the medical needs of the student while also making every effort to continue the student's education.
- What happens if my student gets an unexcused absence? Unexcused voluntary absences for 10 days or 10 days or more within 6 months (whether in full days or parts of days) violates state law. This may lead to a court referral against the parent, guardian or students.
- What responsibility, as a parent/guardian, do I have in my student's attendance? Compulsory school attendance states that "any person having under control a child who is between the ages of 6 and 19 years shall cause the student to attend school regularly during the full period and hours." This means students must attend school unless legally excused and that it is the parent's responsibility to ensure the student is attending. Parents can be held liable for contributing to truancy if adequate effort is not taken to ensure their child is attending.
- When do absences start over? Excused and unexcused absences accumulate the whole year but are counted by the semester. State law says that a student is habitually truant when they have 3 or more unexcused absences in a four-week period. Excused absences for purposes Compulsory attendance restart at the semester for the secondary only.
