Attendance Policies

All students arriving late, after the official start of 1st period (2nd for those who have late arrival) to school,  MUST sign in at the attendance office. FIRST PERIOD BEGINS AT 7:25 AM, SECOND PERIOD AT 8:19 AM. Students arriving past these times will be counted absent for that first period class, second period if late arrival, and MUST provide a note to excuse the absence. 

All students needing to leave campus before the end of the school day MUST be signed out at the attendance office BEFORE leaving campus. If your student drives to and from school, you may send an email to the attendance office staff, requesting your student be allowed to sign out. Please make sure you are using the email account that we have on file for you and that you clearly state the name of your student, the time they are to be allowed to leave and the reason.

***THERE MUST BE A RECORD OF THE STUDENT SIGNING IN/OUT IN ORDER TO EXCUSE PARTIAL DAY ABSENCES***

Teachers/Substitutes are responsible for entering/submitting attendance for their students. If there is a question regarding an absence, please contact that class period teacher first. Attendance Personnel CANNOT make changes to attendance records without a WRITTEN request from the teacher of record of that class. Students are expected to follow their schedule every day, every class period and be on time so as to avoid mistakes/misunderstadings by teachers and/or substitutes. If a student sees an AP or a counselor, they MUST sign in on the Office Visit Log for that individual.

PLEASE REPORT ABSENCES TO ATTENDANCE PERSONNEL. TEACHERS CANNOT ENTER EXCUSE NOTES. 

The Texas Education Code (25.087) specifies absences that are allowable and considered as “excused.” These absences do not count toward student absences for the semester or year. These absences include:

• Observation of religious or holy days.
• Court appearance.
• Attending a government office for the purpose of approving a student’s citizenship.
• Taking part in a United States naturalization ceremony.
• Serving as an election clerk.
• Doctor visit where the student is gone for a small period of time and returns the same day. Doctor note is required.
• College visits (Juniors and Seniors only). Maximum of 2 allowable days per year.  Must be documented on university letterhead.
• Students with autism who are going to therapy.
• Students sounding “Taps” at a military honors funeral for a military veteran.

All other absences count toward a student’s total number of absences for the year. These can include:

• Unexcused absences for which the student does not bring a parent note or the parent does not call.
• Illnesses, including illnesses excused by a doctor’s note, if the student was absent ALL day.
• Surgery, even with a note from the surgeon/ doctor.
• Absences for which a student brings a parent note or the parent calls the attendance office.
• Absences due to students on vacation with their family.

Unintended Consequences for Excessive Absences:

• Loss of Exam Exemptions- Students are allowed no more than 3 absences in any class to be eligible for exam exemptions at the end of each semester. (Humble ISD Student Handbook)

• Loss of Credit- Students who miss more than 10% of the class days per semester can lose credit for their courses, even if they are passing the courses, if they do not follow the plan outlined by the campus to recover absences. (Humble ISD Student Handbook; Texas Education Code 25.092)

• Court Appearances- Students who miss 10 or more days in a 6 month period will be subject to making an appearance before a judge to explain their absences. Both they and their parents are subject to fines and other consequences for failure to attend school. (Texas Education Code 25.092)

• Attendance Review Committee Appearances- Students who accrue absences in any period that exceed 25% of instructional days for the semester must appear before the campus Attendance Review Committee. The committee will make a determination of whether the absences will be allowed and course credit will be awarded. The committee’s decision on these matters is final and is only appealable to the Humble ISD School Board. (Texas Education Code 25.092)

SCHS Attendance Policies:

• Students will be given credit for classes if they are passing the course at the end of the semester and in attendance for a minimum of 90% of instructional days. Absences are counted for individual class periods. If a student falls below 90% attendance in any period, they must complete an attendance recovery plan outlined by the campus. Failure to complete this plan will result in the student losing credit for the course, even if they are passing the class at the end of the semester. (Texas Education Code 25.092)

• Students who have less than 75% attendance in any class period must go before the campus Attendance Review Committee. The committee will have 4-5 faculty members on it, with the majority being classroom teachers.  The committee will determine whether the absences are allowable. If the committee determines that the absences are not allowable, the student will lose credit for all courses in which attendance falls below 75%.  The committee meets during the week before the end of the semester.  (Texas Education Code 25.092)

• Summer Creek High School will only accept up to 5 parent calls/ parent notes per semester for each student. If a student exceeds this number, the campus will code future absences as Unexcused. In this case, a letter will be sent home that explains the policy.
  
  
• Students who are absent 3 times from a class within a 4 week period will receive a Compulsory Attendance warning letter. Students who receive 3 of these letters in a semester will be required to go to court to appear before a judge to explain their absences. (Humble ISD Student Handbook; Texas Education Code 25.092)
  
  
• Parent notes and doctor notes must be turned in no later than 48 hours after an absence for the absence to be coded as “excused.” Notes turned in after this time will be filed, but the absence will remain as Unexcused.