Attendance & Truancy Prevention

Purpose

Our purpose is to ensure student success by providing early interventions to remove barriers to student attendance and prevent chronic absenteeism.

Campus and district support teams utilize relevant student attendance data to determine appropriate and positive student support options.

State Excused Absences
School districts are obligated to excuse a student's absence for specific reasons, such as:

Observing a religious holy day recognized by the student's denomination as a day that must be observed by all members.
- However, church retreats, camps, mission trips, and individual religious rites (such as baptisms, christenings, bar mitzvahs, etc.) are not considered holy days.
Attending a required court appearance, provided that the student's name appears on the court summons
Serving as an election clerk
Completing paperwork required in connection with the student's application for U.S. citizenship at a governmental office
Participating in a U.S. naturalization oath ceremony
Sounding "Taps" at a military honors funeral held in Texas for a deceased veteran
Attending a healthcare appointment
Visiting college campuses for juniors and seniors
Working with the Department of Family & Protective Services regarding conservatorship
Visiting a driver’s license office to obtain a driver’s license or learner permit
Visiting with a parent, stepparent, or legal guardian who is an active duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or is immediately returned from continuous deployment

Additionally, an absence may be excused in cases of:

Attending the funeral of an immediate family member
Participating in school-sponsored curricular or extracurricular activities
Parents/guardians are encouraged to submit notes or documents to assist the campus in properly coding absences.

Unexcused Absences
Reasons that are not considered acceptable excuses for absenteeism from school include:

Taking care of a sibling or parent
Non-enrollment days
- Days the student is not in school due to changing schools
Traveling out of town to visit relatives or vacationing with family

Consequences for excessive unexcused absences:

Parents are held accountable for unexcused absences, even if the child skips class without the parent's knowledge.
A compulsory attendance notification will be sent to the parent if a student has unexcused absences on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period or three days or parts of days without an excuse during a four-week period. Note that "parts of days" includes leaving school early or arriving after the first bell has rung, even if the child attended for some of the days.
The attendance warning letter gives the parent notice that the student has accumulated too many unexcused absences and allows the parent to make corrections to the child's attendance record.
If corrections are not made, a court warning will notify the parent of the potential for a case to be filed in a justice or municipal court or for the student to be referred to juvenile court. Parents may be criminally charged or fined if their child has another unexcused absence.

Truancy Prevention Measures
Excessive excused and unexcused absences result in chronic absenteeism and truancy, placing a student at risk of not reading on grade level, not meeting appropriate achievement levels, and dropping out of school. District and campus attendance and truancy teams respond by utilizing a variety of truancy prevention measures. Measures include but may not be limited to the following:

Teacher contact
Warning Letter
Administrative Conferences
Individualized Plans for Attendance
Home Visits
Referral to San Antonio Municipal Court

District and campus truancy prevention team members may utilize additional interventions and strategies based on the needs of individual students.

Compulsory Attendance Law
The State of Texas requires all students at least 6 years of age and not yet 19 to attend school until they obtain a diploma. It is essential that students attend school each day. There is a strong connection between student attendance and academic performance. When students miss class, they miss out on learning.

90% Rule
In addition to the Compulsory Attendance Law, there is the 90% law. 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 [see Board Policy FEA (LEGAL) and (LOCAL)] or unexcused. See Board Policy FEA.

If the student does not meet this requirement, the student must go through the Attendance Recovery Process.
If the student drops below 90% but attends class at least at 75% of the days the class is offered, the student may earn credit for the class by completing a plan approved by the principal.

Petitions for credit or a final grade may be filed at any time the student receives notice but, in any event, no later than 30 days after the last day of classes. Parents are encouraged at any time to contact their child’s school regarding his or her attendance and for any requests for assistance.

The campus attendance committee shall review the student's entire attendance record and the reasons for absences and shall determine whether to award credit or a final grade. The attendance committee may also, whether a petition is filed or not, review the records of all students whose attendance drops below 90 percent of the days the class is offered. See SWISD Board Policy FEC.

Course Credit Loss Defined
When students do not meet the 90% attendance rate in a class, it is reflected on their report cards as course credit denial.

Frequently Asked Questions

If my child reports to school but leaves for a doctor's appointment and returns to school the same day, do I need a note from the doctor?
Your child will still need to submit a note from the doctor. This helps campuses ensure proper coding of your child’s absence.

What support can I expect from my child’s school regarding attendance?
Each campus has attendance and support staff who aim to work closely with students and parents to identify reasons that may keep students from attending school daily. An effort is made to identify the unique needs of each student and develop individual plans that may include a variety of supports: counseling, support from a campus social worker, case management by a campus Truancy Prevention and Advocacy Liaison (TPAL), and referrals for district and outside social, emotional, and mental health services and resources. For help regarding attendance and truancy prevention, you are encouraged to contact the attendance office at your child’s school. Your concern will be referred to the appropriate staff member.

What if I have contacted the attendance office at my child’s school but have not received a callback or support?
If you cannot reach the attendance office at your child’s school or receive the support you need, you should ask to speak with a campus administrator. If you cannot get assistance with your concern, contact our district’s Truancy Prevention & Intervention Liaison Coordinator, Laura Garza, at 210-622-4061.

How can I monitor my child’s attendance?
Parents and legal guardians may log in to our district’s Parent Self-Serve portal to monitor a child’s attendance. This portal can be accessed through our district website or at https://southwestisd.teams.hosting/selfserve/EntryPointHomeAction.do?parent=true.

Keep Reviewing Your Child's Attendance Records
It is crucial to monitor your child’s attendance and communicate with the school to ensure you are informed about your child’s attendance history. Review your child’s attendance record and absence codes as often as possible. As soon as you notice a problem with attendance, or if you receive a letter and do not recognize the absence dates listed, contact the school immediately.
Minimize Instructional Time Lost
Schedule any appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.) outside school hours.

Send a Note
For an excused absence, you must send a note to the campus that describes the reason for the absence within three school days of your child's return.

Get to Know Your Child’s Teachers
Be sure to get to know your child’s teachers. Ask questions about their classes, how they arrive at assigning grades, homework policies, and make-up work procedures. Attend parent-teacher conferences to help you stay informed about your child’s progress.

Make-Up Work and Passing Grades
If your child is absent for any reason, including extracurricular activities, be sure the assigned make-up work is completed. Submitting missed assignments due to absences will help maintain eligibility for extracurricular activities and a student’s GPA.

Laura Garza

Truancy & Dropout Prevention Coordinator

Laura Garza's journey began in humble origins. Growing up as a migrant, she quickly grasped the value of education. Her career in education started as a paraprofessional at Harlandale ISD, where she secured her first teaching position at Leal MS in 2002. Progressing to high school teaching and coaching, Ms. Garza contributed her expertise at Harlandale, SAISD, and Northside. After 13 years in the classroom, she transitioned to administration, serving as an Assistant Athletic Director at Edgewood ISD. With 21 years of educational experience, Laura recently joined the Southwest ISD family in 2023 as the district's Truancy and Dropout Prevention Coordinator. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of St. Mary's and a master's degree from Texas A&M San Antonio.