Excellence
When an Absence is Unavoidable
We understand that there are occasions when your child may need to be absent from school due to circumstances beyond your control. Life can be unpredictable, and we want to assure you that we are here to support both you and your child during such times.
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Report all absences on the day the student will miss school by calling the attendance office.
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If your child is absent due to one of the excused absence categories listed here you must submit documentation upon their return to school. The easiest way to do this is to take a clear photo of the document and email it to your child’s school email address. You can find each campus email address listed here.
Attendance Policy
Board Policy relating to attendance can be found in FEA (Legal) and FEA (local) as well as in the Student Handbook.
Eligible Excused Absences for High School Students
- a student who is 15 years of age or older may be absent for one day to obtain a learner license and one day to obtain a driver’s license (must provide documentation of visit to DPS for each absence and must make up missed work)
- during the student's junior and senior year a student may miss up to two days per year to visit an institution of higher education accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization
- a student 17 years of age or older may be excused for up to four days during his or her enrollment in high school for activities related to pursuing enlistment in a branch of the U.S. Armed Services or Texas National Guard
Excused Absences
State law allows exemptions to the compulsory attendance requirements for the following activities and events, as long as the student makes up all work:
- Religious holy days
- Required court appearances
- Appearing at a governmental office to obtain U.S. citizenship
- Taking part in a US naturalization oath ceremony
- Serving as an election clerk
- Health-care appointments for the student or a child of the student, including absences related to autism services
- Absences resulting from a serious or life-threatening illness or related treatment that makes a student’s attendance infeasible, with certification by a physician
For students in the conservatorship of the state:
- An activity required under a court-ordered service plan; or
- Any other court-ordered activity, provided it is not practicable to schedule the student’s participation in the activity outside of school hours.
For children of military families, absences of up to five days will be excused for a student to visit a parent, stepparent, or legal guardian going to, on leave from, or returning from certain deployments.