Attendance

Texas Education Code requires a child who is at least 6 years of age, or younger than 6 years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and has yet to reach their 19th birthday to attend school unless exempt by law. Students enrolled in prekindergarten or kindergarten shall attend school.

The state compulsory attendance law also requires that a child between the ages of 6 and 19 must attend school and District-required tutorial sessions unless the student is otherwise legally exempted or excused. A student who voluntarily attends or enrolls after their 19th birthday is required to attend each school day until the end of the school year. However, if a student 19 or older has more than five unexcused absences in a semester, the District may revoke the student’s enrollment. The student’s presence on school property is then unauthorized and may be considered trespass.

School employees must investigate and report violations of the state compulsory attendance law. A student absent from school without permission from any class; from required special programs; from additional instruction assigned by a placement/attendance committee; from required tutorials will be considered in violation of the law and subject to disciplinary action. A school-aged student deliberately not attending school may also result in a court of law assessing penalties against the student and their parents.

A complaint may be filed in the appropriate court if the student:

• Is absent from school 10 or more days, or parts of days, within a six-month period in the same school year, or
• Is absent from school on three or more days, or parts of days, within a four-week period.

State law allows exemptions to the compulsory attendance requirements for several types of absences. These include but are not limited to the following activities and events:

• Participating in UIL events;
• School sponsored field trips;
• Religious holy days;
• Required court appearances;
• Activities related to obtaining the student’s United States citizenship;
• Service as an election clerk; and
• Documented health care appointments when the student attended part of the same school day, including absences for recognized services for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

The Carroll ISD Student Handbook includes several additional exemptions that apply to students such as college and career investigation visits. A person required to attend school may be excused for temporary absence if a note is provided to the campus. Absences in which a note is not provided will be considered unexcused. Texas Education Code prohibits a student from being withdrawn by CISD after 10 consecutive absences if the whereabouts of the student is known. The student shall remain enrolled in CISD, and truancy may be filed based upon standard truancy procedures.

According to state law, a student must attend at least 90% of the days the class is offered to receive credit in a class. All absences, excused and unexcused, count against the 90% attendance rule.  The exceptions are those absences that are exempt from compulsory attendance; see FAQ question #2.

When students fall below 90% attendance, the school administrator will implement and notify the student and parents of a “principal plan” to regain credit. As part of the principal plan, the student may be required to make up time outside of school hours. Failure to complete the principal plan may result in denial of course credit or retention. An attendance committee consisting of school administration and faculty will hear any appeals if a student or parent wishes to appeal a denial of credit brought about by failure to attend a class at least 90% of the days in the semester.

Elementary, Intermediate and Middle School campuses may accept up to ten days of parent excused absences documented with parent communication. Although these will be documented as excused absences, the days will count against the 90% attendance rule, and may require students to make up instructional time.

High school and Senior High school campuses may accept up to 5 parent notes per class per semester (10 per year).   Although these will be documented as excused absences, the days will count against the 90% attendance rule and students may be required to make up seat time.

Parent notes do not “carry over” into the second semester; however, extenuating circumstances may be discussed with your campus administrator.

Texas requires a child who is at least 6 years of age, or who is younger than 6 years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade to attend school. Under §25.085(c), compulsory attendance also applies to students voluntarily enrolled in prekindergarten or kindergarten.

Students enrolled before age 6 are subject to truancy law and truancy prevention measures.

Students must be on campus at their official attendance time to be counted present for the day. 

• Elementary schools: 10:00 am
• Intermediate schools: 9:30 am
• Middle schools: 9:30 am
• High and Senior High schools: 10:00 am

Students who arrive after this time will be counted absent unless a doctor’s note is provided for an appointment on that day.

Additionally, students in grades 5 - 12 have attendance taken the first 10 minutes of every class period. If the student is present for the official attendance time, then leaves school, the student will be marked absent for the periods missed.

If a student in grades 5 - 12 misses less than 20 minutes of any class, they are reported as tardy.  If the student misses more than 20 minutes of any class, they are considered absent from that class and may be required to make up the instructional time missed.

Students who arrive late for school will be marked tardy for that day (elementary) or tardy for the class period (secondary) unless they provide a medical note due to a health care appointment.

After excessive tardies, an attendance contract may be put in place, or disciplinary action may be taken.

Yes, all students must be checked in and out through the front office. Please notify the campus at least 30 minutes prior to the requested pick up time. 

Student drivers must check out through the office with prior parent communication.

Missing any part of the school day can count against the student for 90% attendance rule and truancy.

If a student attends school for any part of the day, they should provide a doctor’s note upon return to campus. This note must include the clinic name and location, doctor’s name, date of the appointment and any other attendance dates the doctor is excusing. The health care or mental health professional must be licensed, certified, ore registered to practice in the United States.

Students who attend school on the same day as the doctor’s appointment are considered Medically Present for the school day.  This absence is excluded from the 90% compulsory attendance. Students will have to make up missed school work but are considered present for the school day.

Students who are absent the entire day and went to the doctor on the day absent, are considered Excused with the doctor note.  This absence does count toward the 90% compulsory attendance.  Students who miss the entire school day for a doctor appointment will have to make up missed school work and may be required to make-up missed instructional time. 

If a student has regularly scheduled appointments with a doctor, please schedule those at the beginning or the end of the school day to limit interruptions to the student's learning. 
A note should be provided to the campus attendance clerk weekly noting the dates of the appointments the student attended that week. Blanket notes (e.g. student attends this appointment every Thursday) are not accepted, as the district needs confirmation of which days the student was seen at the doctor’s office to excuse the absence.  

If the student was present for part of the school day, then those are considered Medically Present absences and are excluded from the 90% compulsory attendance. 

Excused absences are absences where the parent notified the school of the absence and the school accepted that notification. These do not count toward truancy absences but are included in the 90% compulsory attendance requirement. An excused absence does not excuse the student from completing school work that was missed from that school day.

Unexcused absences are absences where the parent did not notify the school of the absence, or the parent has exceeded the number of days allowed to be excused by a parent note. Unexcused absence count both toward truancy and 90% compulsory attendance.

All absences, whether excused or unexcused, count toward 90% attendance for credit and students are required to make up missed work from those absences.  Only absences included in the state law exemptions do not count toward 90% attendance for credit. (See FAQ #2)

When sickness or other obligations necessitate an absence, notify the campus of the absence one of the following ways:

• Log in to Skyward Family Access, click "Attendance" , then click “Request an Absence”.
• Email the campus attendance clerk.
• Upon return to school, provide a written note signed by the parent/guardian with the date(s) and reason for the absenc

Notes must be submitted within five school days of the student returning. The absence will be considered unexcused if a student fails to submit a note within this period. 

When a student’s absence for personal illness exceeds four successive days, the student shall provide a statement from a physician or health clinic verifying the illness or other condition along with the date(s) the student should be excused from school.

If a student becomes ill during the school day and the school nurse or other district personnel determines that the student should go home, the nurse will contact the student’s parent for pick-up.  This will be considered an excused absence.

When sickness or other obligations necessitate an absence, notify the campus of the absence one of the following ways:

• Log in to Skyward Family Access, click "Attendance" , then click “Request an Absence”.
• Email the campus attendance clerk.
• Upon return to school, provide a written note signed by the parent/guardian with the date(s) and reason for the absenc

Notes must be submitted within five school days of the student returning. The absence will be considered unexcused if a student fails to submit a note within this period. 

Parents may use the ten days' parent notes toward this absence, five days per semester for students taking high school credit classes, but any days outside of that allowance would be unexcused.  These absences may count against the 90% compulsory attendance and could lead to student truancy.

A parent may choose to withdraw their child from Carroll ISD at any time.  Proof of enrollment in another educational environment must be provided to Carroll ISD.  Based on enrollment numbers, the student is not guaranteed to be placed in the same class or at the original campus.  

Yes, consult the student handbook regarding makeup work guidelines. The student is responsible for obtaining work from the teacher and turning it in within the allotted time.

To be considered an absence that exempts a student from the 90% compulsory attendance, the religious holy day should be generally recognized by the student’s religious denomination as a holy day that is required to be observed by all denomination members. Church retreats, camps, mission trips, and individual religious rites such as baptisms, christenings, bar mitzvahs, etc. are not considered holy days. Parent notes will be accepted to excuse an absence for the purpose of observing a religious holy day. The Texas Education Code allows for three days of absence — one day for the religious holy day and one day of travel to and from the location where the celebration is taking place.
SAAH Section 3.6.3

If  the religious holy day is not required to be observed by all denomination members, the parent can provide written notification of the absence and it will be treated as one of the ten days allowed to be excused by a parent note.  In this circumstance, student would still be required to make up the missed work and the absence would count toward the 90% compulsory attendance days.

If there is an issue with your student’s attendance record in Skyward, contact the campus attendance clerk.