Submitting an Absence Note

Providing Documentation for an Absence (Full or Partial Day)

To ensure proper attendance documentation, a parent-signed note explaining the reason for the absence must be submitted within three (3) school days of the student’s return to school. The documentation must support the reason for the absence in order for it to be correctly coded.

How to Submit Absence Documentation:

📌 In-Person: Deliver a signed note to the appropriate campus attendance office.
📌 Online: Submit documentation via the Absence Reporting Form linked on the Attendance Page.

For questions regarding absence coding, please contact your House Secretary.

Important Notes:

🚫 Student-Signed Notes: A note signed by the student or submitted from a student email account (even with parental permission) will not be accepted unless the student is 18 or older or is an emancipated minor under state law.

⚕️ Illness Requiring a Doctor’s Note: If the absence is due to a communicable disease that is excludable by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), a doctor’s note will be required.

🛑 Questionable Patterns of Absences: If a student has frequent or questionable absences, the principal or attendance committee may require a doctor’s note for verification and may disallow future parent notes.

📌 Parental Notes Are Not Guaranteed Excused Absences: The district is not required to excuse an absence even if a parent provides a note, unless the absence qualifies as an exemption under compulsory attendance laws.

Doctor’s Note Requirement for Illness (All Grade Levels)

If a student is absent for more than five (5) consecutive days due to illness, they must provide a note from a doctor or health clinic verifying the illness or condition that caused the absence.

⚠️ Without a doctor’s note, the absence may be marked unexcused and could be considered a violation of compulsory attendance laws.

📌 Frequent Absences Due to Illness: If a student develops a pattern of absences, the principal or attendance committee may require a doctor’s note for all future absences to determine whether they will be excused or unexcused.