Truancy Prevention Measures and Roles

• Truancy counts only unexcused absences while chronic absence counts all absences
• Parents will be contacted and informed of absences or tardiness daily
• If a student has three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period but less that 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period, the district shall initiate truancy prevention measures which may include the following:
  • Mail official letter
  • Conference with student and parent to discuss options for improvement
  • Create an Attendance Improvement Plan
  • Discussion of any recurring barriers to good attendance
  • Require Saturday School
  • File Truancy with the local authorities

Roles

Students

• Attend all classes each day and be on time in conformity with the compulsory attendance laws of the State of Texas
• Know and obey all rules in the Student Code of Conduct
• Regular attendance and punctuality

Parents 

• Participate in decisions related to the education of their children
• Adhere to school rules and procedures
• Ensure that their children attend school everyday
• Send students to school on time and prepared to learn
• Read, acknowledge, and understand the rules applicable to their children’s conduct while they are at school
• Emphasize the value of education
• Read all communications from the school
• Supply accurate, updated information (including current address and when available, current telephone numbers) to the school promptly
• Monitor children’s progress and communicate with the school
• Become informed about the school’s policies and programs
• Confer with their child’s teacher

Campus Administration Role 

The designated campus administrator is responsible for reviewing respective Campus Summary Reports for completeness and accuracy.

• Requirement: Notification of Compulsory Attendance at the beginning of the year to all new enrollees thereafter.
• Communicate with parents throughout the year. 
• Establish and implement a School Attendance Committee
• Inform parents regularly about campus attendance policies and procedures.
• Receive and process attendance referrals.
• Conduct or arrange home visits by campus personnel.
• Collaborate on attendance issues with key personnel.
• Arrange conference opportunities for parents and students.
• Document results of contact with parents.
• Document any information received from parental contact.
• May include other school personnel involved in investigation.
• Conduct student conferences.
• Supervise the attendance office and campus attendance procedures for timeliness, efficiency, and compliance.

Campus Attendance Clerk Role

The campus attendance clerk will be generating absence summaries and transcribing the absences or coding information into the accounting system are responsible for adhering to all laws and regulations pertaining to student attendance accounting. Each person entering data into the attendance accounting system must sign an affidavit attesting that the data he or she has entered are true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge—or, in the case of a paperless attendance accounting system, indicate electronically that the person attests that the data he or she has entered are true and correct to the best of his or her knowledge. SAAH 3.1

• Manage campus attendance data, including the prompt posting of absence codes, and the processing and storage of attendance documents such as ADA slips, excuse notes, exemption documents and attendance correction sheets.
• The attendance personnel generating absence summaries and/or transcribing the absences or coding information into the computer are responsible for adhering to all laws and regulations pertaining to student attendance accounting.
• Generate daily absence reports. and six weeks’ excessive absences report and identify chronically absent students.
• Compile and tabulate dropout and prevention investigation results for weekly reporting.