Houston Highlights
September 8, 2020
Important Information Regarding Attendance
Attendance is the #1 predictor of student success. It is vital that every student be at school every day, whether it is on-line or in-person, so that we maximize their success. Please make sure that you review and comply with the following so that you and your student have minimal impact as it relates to absences.
Change in Mindset:
We strongly recommend that when students are not feeling well, they need to stay home. Self- screening for COVID and any other illnesses is vital this school year for everyone to be successful. Please be respectful and responsible as it relates to your health and that of others.
How are Absences Determined?
In-person Instruction
Students are counted present or absent each day. If an in-person student is absent, but completes their assignments through their Learning Management System on the day of their absence, they will be marked present for that day.
Remote Instruction
Students are counted present or absent each day based on their engagement in activities for their teacher(s). Students have until 11:59 p.m. to complete the given activities for the day unless otherwise stated by the teacher. Once the activities are marked incomplete, a teacher is not able to change the attendance record. If your child is having difficulties submitting assignments on their online learning platform, please contact your child's teacher for assistance. Students have three daily engagement methods in order to be counted present:
Step 1: Daily progress in the Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas or SeeSaw, as defined in the approved learning plan
or
Step 2: Daily progress via teacher-student interactions, as defined in the approved learning plan
or
Step 3: Completion/Turn-in of assignments from student to teacher (potentially via email, on-line, or mail).
Types of Absences: (Most Common)
- Excused absence (EXE) – the student does not attend school a day or days and the parent calls and notifies the school that they will not be in attendance. The absence still counts in the total number of absences as it relates to state law.
- Unexcused absence (UEX) – the student does not attend school a day or days and the parent does not notify the school that the student will not be in attendance. After 48 hours from the day of the absence, the code will not be changed. The absence still counts in the total number of absences as it relates to state law.
- Doctor (DOC) – the student is absent and the parent notifies the school and presents a note from the doctor regarding the day or days the student will be absent from school. The absence still counts in the total number of absences as it relates to state attendance law.
- Health Care Professional (HCP) – the student is absent for part of the school day to go to an appointment with a health care provider. The parent or student supplies a note from the doctor to the attendance office documenting the appointment time and date. The student is in attendance part or parts of the school day. The student is then coded HCP and the absence does not count toward the number of absences as it relates to state attendance law.
Sam Houston School’s comparable school attendance rate goal is usually around 97% in attendance. Currently, we are about 94% attendance rate. This impacts the student, the school and our community. We encourage you to help us achieve this goal so that all of our students perform at the highest level. With 177 days of instruction for students, this equates to a maximum of 5 or 6 absences per school year.
Attendance Office Process/Procedures:
The following are the expectations for parents and students regarding absences and early pick-up of a child:
- In the event of an absence from school, the parent should contact the attendance office to notify them of the absence or send a note the next day.
- If notification of an absence is not made within 48 hours, the absence will be considered unexcused.
- If you are picking up a student early from school, please call at least 1 hour prior to your arrival or send your student with a note at the beginning of the day, so the student is ready for pick-up. We do not send for students after 2:30 p.m.
State of Texas Attendance Requirements:
Texas Law has 2 parts of the attendance Law, the compulsory attendance section and the 90% rule.
Compulsory Attendance:
A student that has missed 3 or more school days or parts of days in a 4-week period or has missed 10 or more days or parts of days in a 6-month period would be in violation of the compulsory attendance law. The school will try to work with the parent and student to improve the student’s attendance. After efforts have been made to improve the attendance but no significant improvement has been made, the school may choose to file failure to compel or attend charges with the Justice of the Peace. With COVID-19, we will not utilize this part of the law unless we have clear documented proof of students intentionally violating this standard.
90% rule:
In addition to compulsory attendance law, districts are required to enforce the 90 percent rule, which states that students in grades K-12 must attend class for 90 percent of the time it is offered to receive credit or a final grade. The 90 percent rule applies to all absences, including excused absences. If the student doesn’t meet this requirement, an attendance committee may grant the student credit or a final grade, depending on the circumstances.
Deadline for Next Learning Type Change
If a parent or guardian would like to switch their student's learning type, they will need to send an email to contacthouston.conroeisd.net. In the email you will need to state your child's name and which learning type you would like for the second grading period. Once the email is received the parent/guardian will receive an email confirmation of the change. The changes will not go into effect until October 13th. We are now accepting emails for the 2nd grading period. The next deadline for families to change Learning Types is up to September 30th. No students who are remote learners will be allowed on campus.
Car Rider Procedures
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q95zeWxquh_fK1oZwoH_9wlFpV-IYcqB/view?usp=sharing
Car Rider Line
Progress Reports
Sam Houston Elementary
Email: contact-houston@conroeisd.net
Website: houston.conroeisd.net
Location: 1000 North Thompson Street, Conroe, TX, USA
Phone: 936-709-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoustonCISD/
Twitter: @HoustonCISD