Attendance

There is a very strong connection between student attendance and academic performance in school. When students miss class, they miss out on learning. While we want all students to aim for perfect attendance, College Station ISD recognizes there are times when students must miss school. Our instructional calendar has several days through the school year that allow students to take care of routine appointments with doctors, dentists, etc. and still maintain a pattern of "great attendance." We believe that our students can do it!

The Texas State Compulsory Attendance Law requires students aged 6 through 19 to attend school.  Section 25.085 requires students to go to school each school day for the entire school day unless exempted by law.  This requirement includes students who have voluntarily enrolled in prekindergarten or kindergarten and students who are nineteen years old or older.

Students are required to attend school from the time the school day begins until the time the school day ends. A partial day absence occurs when a student is not present for part of the school day.

Students who violate this law may get referral(s) for court proceedings against the parent, guardian or student to enforce the law.

Violation of the law occurs when students get unexcused absences for 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period.

In addition to the Compulsory Attendance Law, there is the “90% Rule,” which states that in order to receive credit for a final grade for a class, a student is required to attend class 90 percent of the days a class is offered regardless of whether the student’s absences are excused or unexcused. When students do not meet the 90% attendance rate in a class, CSISD provides written notification to the parent/guardian in the form of an Excessive Absence Letter. The loss of credit is also reflected on a student’s report card. If the student does not meet the 90% requirement in a class, the student must go through the Attendance Recovery Process outlined in the CSISD Student Handbook, which denotes that:

To receive credit or a final grade in a class, a student must attend the class at least 90 percent of the days it is offered. A student who attends at least 75 percent but fewer than 90 percent of the days may receive credit or a final grade if he or she completes a plan, approved by the principal, that allows the student to fulfill the class’s instructional requirements. If a student is involved in a criminal or juvenile court proceeding, the judge presiding over the case must also approve the plan before the student receives credit or a final grade. If a student attends fewer than 75 percent of the class days or does not complete the principal-approved plan, then the attendance review committee will determine whether there are extenuating circumstances for the absences and how the student can regain credit or a final grade. See CSISD Board Policies FEC (LEGAL) and FEC (LOCAL).