Attendance Matters - Gregory-Portland Independent School District

Compulsory Attendance Notice

Attendance Requirements

Gregory-Portland ISD is committed to partnering with parents to ensure the success of our students. Campus and district administrators will be proactive in providing support and resources for families so that attendance is a priority. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance.

Texas law requires students ages 6-19 to attend school each day that instruction is provided. This also applies to students who are younger than six and have previously been enrolled in 1st grade and to students younger than six who are voluntarily enrolled in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.

Official Attendance-Taking Time

DID YOU KNOW?

Texas law requires students to be in attendance at least 90% of the time in order to receive credit for the semester.
90% means a student cannot miss more than 9 days in a semester for a class that meets every day.
Attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will graduate from high school than test scores.
Students in kindergarten and 1st grade who are chronically absent will not likely read at grade level by the 3rd grade.
Parents/guardians can check their student’s attendance through Skyward Family Access.

DISTRICT ABSENCE NOTE

Students who have been absent must present a written excuse from the parent/guardian or a medical professional within three (3) days. The three-day period begins on the day the student returns to school. All absences require a doctor’s note and/or a parent’s written note. Parents can upload absence notes using the District Absence Note form below.

CONTACT YOUR CAMPUS ATTENDANCE CLERK

Early Childhood Center

East Cliff Elementary

SF Austin Elementary

TM Clark Elementary

WC Andrews Elementary

Middle School

High School

HOW CAN PARENTS HELP

Even with your best efforts, your child will miss some days of school for important reasons. The attendance laws are designed to make sure that the missed days of school don’t interfere with your child’s academic achievement and earned credit. It is very important that you stay in constant communication with your child’s school so that your child may receive all of the support and resources available to promote academic success.

When scheduling appointments with health care providers, choose a time that will allow your child to begin or end their day at school. A student who has an appointment with a health care provider but attends school for a part of that same day or class will receive credit for attending the whole day or class.

Review Gregory-Portland ISD’s school calendar and, whenever possible, schedule health care appointments and family trips/vacations before or after school, or during school breaks or holidays.

Switch between morning and afternoon appointments so that your child doesn’t miss the same class all the time.

Parent notes may excuse up to 5 days of absences. Absences due to illness for 6 or more consecutive days require medical documentation. Students who have been absent must present a written excuse from the parent/guardian or a medical professional within three (3) days. The three-day period begins on the day the student returns to school. All absences require a doctor’s note and/or a parent’s written note. Parents can upload absence notes using the District Absence Note.

Attend tutoring sessions anytime instructional time is lost due to attendance.

90% ATTENDANCE RULE FOR CREDIT

What Does The 90% Rule Mean For Your Child?

In addition to Texas compulsory attendance laws, districts are required to enforce the 90% rule which states that students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12^th must attend a class for 90% of the time it is offered to receive credit or a final grade. This rule applies even if your child has an IEP or 504 Plan.
The average school year is 180 days. This means your child can only miss 18 days (or parts of a day) of school or 18 days (or parts of a day) of a specific class. If the school is on a semester schedule, this number is cut in half.
A student who is in attendance for at least 75 percent, but less than 90 percent, of the days a class is offered, may be given credit or a final grade if the student completes a plan approved by the principal that provides for the student to meet the instructional requirements of the class.
The 90 percent rule applies to all absences (excluding those exempt by law), including excused absences.
For elementary students, this means they could repeat a grade if they are in school less than 90% of school days. A middle or high school student may have to repeat a class that they received a passing grade in if they did not attend that class at least 90% of the days of the class.

What Can You Do If Your Child Falls Below 90% Compulsory Attendance?

If the student drops below 90% attendance but attends class at least 75% of the days the class is offered, the student may earn credit for the class by completing a plan approved by the principal or campus attendance review committee which allows the student to fulfill the instructional requirements for the class.
If a student falls below the 75% attendance rate or has not completed the plan approved by the principal, the student will be referred to the Campus Attendance Review Committee and they will review the reasons for your student's absences, review performance, and determine if there are extenuating circumstances for the absences. If extenuating circumstances exist, the committee will develop a plan that will allow the student to regain credit or a final grade lost due to attendance. Each plan will be unique and based on individual students' circumstances.
The student or parent may appeal the Attendance Review Committee's decision to the building principal.

Which Absences are Exempt From The 90% Rule?

State law allows for exemptions to the compulsory attendance requirements for several types of absences if the student makes up all assigned work and turns in the appropriate documentation. The following activities are exempt:

All Grade Levels
Secondary Grade Levels

All Grade Levels

Religious Holiday
Required Court Appearance
Activities Related to US Citizenship
Documented Health Care Appointments (must attend school on the same day as the appointment)
Students in the Conservatorship of the State
Students of a Military Parent Called to Duty, On Leave, or has Returned from Continuous Deployment of at Least 4 Months Outside the Area of Residence.

Secondary Grade Levels

TRUANCY ENFORCEMENT

Texas Education Code 25.085 and 25.0915

Gregory-Portland ISD enforces the Texas compulsory attendance laws in the following ways:

Automated phone calls and emails are sent to parents or guardians daily notifying them when a student has been marked absent. It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to ensure that the most current and up-to-date contact information is on file at their child’s school. Parents and guardians may refer to the district’s Student & Parent Handbook, the Attendance Matters website, or the campus their child attends for resources, information and support regarding attendance.
All students will be issued a warning letter when attendance records show that the student has absences without an excuse on three days. This is also when the campus will begin implementation of Truancy Prevention Measures for the student. Truancy prevention measures (TPM) are required by law to assist parents and prevent the filing with the court for compulsory attendance.

Truancy Prevention Measures will include, but are not limited to:

Parent and or Student Conference
Truancy Prevention Class (Online and/or In-Person)
Attendance Contract
Mandatory Student Tutorials
Student Detention
Parent Engagement Classes
Referral to Administration, Counselor, or Truancy Officer
Saturday School
In-School Suspension
Home Visits

When Truancy Prevention Measures fail to solve the attendance problem, referral to a truancy court becomes an option. If a student fails to attend school on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year and those absences have been verified by the campus as unexcused, students 12 and older may be referred to the prosecutor of the truancy court of San Patricio County.

At this point, the campus may also file a criminal complaint against parents who contribute to the nonattendance of their child, regardless of the age of their child. The goal of each campus is to provide truancy prevention measures for students who exhibit attendance issues in a way that meaningfully addresses the student’s overall attendance. Gregory-Portland ISD may delay the referral to court if the Truancy Prevention Measures are successful and the delay is in the best interest of the student.

WITHDRAWALS FOR NON-ATTENDANCE

Gregory-Portland ISD is authorized through FEA (LOCAL) policy to withdraw a student under the age of 19 for non-attendance under the following conditions:

The student has been absent 10 consecutive school days.
Repeated efforts by the school to locate the student have been unsuccessful.

Students who are home-schooled are exempt from the compulsory attendance law to the same extent as students enrolled in other private schools. Parents must notify the school in writing that the student is withdrawing from the school and the date homeschooling began. For your convenience, parents may also submit this form.

HOMESCHOOL

Verification of Enrollment

Texas law requires that any person under 18 who applies for a learner license or provisional driver license and does not hold a high-school diploma or equivalent must meet one of the following requirements:

Be currently enrolled in public school, home school or private school and be able to prove attendance for the past 80 days.
Be currently enrolled in a high school equivalency preparation program and be able to prove attendance for the past 45 days.

The Verification of Enrollment Form requires a signature from a school official, and is only valid for 30-days or 90-days between the months of June - August.

Verification of Enrollment Request Form

Required

FAQ

What should I do if my child is absent?

Why did the campus mark my child's absence as unexcused even though I turned in a note and/or called to let the campus know my child would be absent?

The reasons could include the following:

The parent or medical absence note was not turned in to the attendance clerk within 3 school days after the students return to school after an illness.
The student's absence was due to a reason not considered excused by State guidelines and/or District policy. Please refer to the Student and Parent Handbook for more information.
The student's absence may have required a doctor’s note to be excused due to excessive absences resulting in a violation of the 90% Rule.

You must provide written documentation for your child’s absence. A phone call alone will not suffice.
If you still have questions, or you believe there is an error with your child's attendance record, please contact the campus attendance office or your child's assistant principal.

How Many Parent Notes Can I Write?

Parent notes may excuse up to 5 days. Absences due to illness for 6 or more days require medical documentation. Students who have been absent must present a written excuse from the parent/guardian or a medical professional within three (3) days. The three-day period begins on the day the student returns to school. All absences require a doctor’s note and/or a parent’s written note. Parents can upload absence notes using the District Absence Note.