Attendance Hours vs. Attendance Letters

Texas Education Code Section 25.092 states, "a student may not be given credit for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered."  

Absences, whether  excused or unexcused, will result in owing attendance hours (seat time) to make up those hours to receive credit for the course.  Due to the number of times A-day and B-day classes meet each semester, a student will begin to owe hours for a class period that is missed 4 or more times in the fall semester or 5 or more times during the spring semester. Remember that if a student is tardy for more than 10 min an absence for the class is recorded.  Therefore,  if a student misses on average any class more than two times a week - every week, they will owe hours for that course. 

Attendance hours are posted weekly on the AP office wall.  Attendance make-up hours need to be documented on The Attendance Hours Owed Sheet (copies are also available in the AP offices).     

Attendance hours can be made up by:  

*attending and documenting  tutorials with teachers        

*attending and documenting AM or PM detentions, or Saturday School  (see dates and times on the "Attendance Hours Owed Sheet") 

*Volunteer hours with a NON-PROFIT organization, but only half can be made up in this manner.   

Once a student owes hours for a semester, every additional period or day they miss in that semester will accumulate more hours.   

-1 period = 1.5 hours owed                                        - 1 day = 6 hours owed     

Texas Education Code Section 65.003 of the Texas Family Code states, "a child engages in truant conduct if the child fails to attend school on 10 or more days or parts of days (one period counts as a part of a day) within a six-month period in the same school year."

Our attendance program codes absences as: 

D - absence (with doctors notes)                                       

A- absence excused (with parent notification)               

O- unexcused absence (no parent notification)       

The "O" or the absence, for a period or an entire day, with no parent communication is what triggers our truancy letters.

*3 full or partial days= first letter                       

* 7 full or partial days= second letter                   

*10 full or partial days=  third letter                                              

Communication within 48 hours of the absence to our attendance secretary will keep truancy letters from being prompted.  After 48 hours the attendance coding can not be changed.  You can send communication 1 of 3 ways:  

1) Send a note with your student.  

2) Send an e-mail from the e-mail that is on file in Home Access Center  

3)  Send a fax with note with your signature.                           

Please be sure your communication includes:

*the date of the absence                                          

*Student Name, Grade, and ID Number

*Reason for absence

*Parent Signature (for notes)                   

 Even with communication, attendance hours will still accumulate after a student has missed more than 10% of a course for ANY reason.