Churchill Attendance Information

Attendance Requirements

State law requires that a student may not be given credit for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90 percent of the time the class is scheduled to meet. If student attendance is less than 90 percent of the days the class meets, students will lose credit unless each and every class is made up in an acceptable manner.

At the high school level, students may now lose credit on the 10th absence of the semester. This will be recorded as an NC “Non-Credit” in Skyward. At Churchill,  students may make up time by attending Saturday school, which is offered periodically throughout the semester. For more information about what your child needs, please reach out to their alpha assistant principal.

Absence versus Tardy

Since students must be in attendance 90% of the time to be counted present, a student who arrives to class 5 or more minutes late will be counted absent.

Attendance Documentation

All attendance documentation must be original and turned in person to the attendance office. Emailed documentation will NOT be accepted. There are no exceptions that will be made to this policy.

Acceptable/Unacceptable Reasons for Absences

***Both excused and unexcused absences count towards the state 90% attendance threshold. Once a student accumulates 10 excused or unexcused absences in an individual class, they will lose credit for that class and a non-credit will be applied.***

Acceptable Reasons for an Absence as Defined by State Law with approved documentation to verify absence:

• Required court appearance (including travel time if necessary - one day to and one day from the county/city of the court requesting the student's attendance).
• Religious holy day(s) (including travel time if necessary).
• For the purpose of sounding “Taps” at a military honors funeral held in Texas for a deceased veteran.
• A portion of a school day is missed for a doctor/dentist appointment and the absence is verified by a signed note or form by the doctor within the time allotted for the student or the student’s child.
• Activities related to students obtaining United States citizenship.
• A student serve as an election clerk (maximum of two (2) days per school year).
• Documented health-care appointments, including absences for recognized services for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
• Maximum of two (2) days per year for a junior or a senior to visit a college/university (the appropriate school form is complete and returned to the attendance office for verification).
• A student 17 years or older is pursuing enlistment in a branch of the U.S. armed services or Texas National Guard, provided the absence does not exceed four (4) days and the student provides verification to the district of these activities.
• District-approved school business based on state guidelines and required documentation.
• Meets requirements as outlined in the Military Interstate Compact (maximum of five (5) days per school year within a window of 60 days prior to deployment and 30 days after the date of return from deployment).
• A student who is 15 years of age or older may not excuse more than one day of school during the period the student is enrolled in high school to visit a driver’s license office for each of the following reasons: to obtain a learner’s permit or driver’s license (proof of the DMV visit must be provided to the school for verification).

Acceptable Reasons for an Extenuating Absence as Defined by the District with approved documentation to verify absence (X Code):

• Hospitalization.
• Death in the family.
• Sport-related competitions for approved off-campus physical education credit.
• Olympic try-outs.
• Shadowing district magnet programs.
• Visit by a religious leader or a major religious event that is not considered a holy day.
• Visa renewals up to three (3) days only if necessary for the trip (one day to, day of renewal, and one day return).
• A full day’s absence due to a doctor/dentist appointment that is verified by a signed note or form by the doctor within the time allotted.

Acceptable Reasons for an Excused Absence as Defined by the District with approved documentation to verify absence (E Code):

• Personal or family illness verified by a note from a parent/guardian
• Natural disasters, weather or road conditions as declared by the District make travel dangerous.
• Death outside the family.
• Attending a special school function, without a school sponsor and identified by the District (ex: State playoffs).
• Emergencies are recognized and approved by the principal or district.

Unacceptable Reasons for an Absence and will be documented as an unexcused absence (U CODE):

• Truancy
• Any absence not listed above

Examples of a common unexcused absence:

• Vacations/pleasure trips
• Missing the bus
• Car problems
• Overslept
• Babysitting
• Birthday or other personal celebrations
• Jobs
• Rare special circumstances not approved by the principal in advance
• Youth programs not associated with the District, including but not limited to, athletics, cheerleading, dance, theater, fine arts, and other similar programs

***Both excused and unexcused absences count towards the state 90% attendance threshold. Once a student accumulates 10 excused or unexcused absences in an individual class they will lose credit for that class and a non-credit will be applied.***

Late Arrival During School Hours

Students who arrive late to campus during school hours and past the tardy sweep time period should sign in at
the attendance office.

Permission to Leave School

For safety reasons, students will be released ONLY to parents/guardians or persons listed on the emergency form. Picture identification is required prior to students being released. A parent/guardian or approved adult must sign the student out in the attendance office and wait until the student reports to the attendance office prior to departure from campus. No student checkouts will be permitted after 4:05 pm.

We encourage all students who know in advance that they will need to leave the building during school hours to present a written request from their parents/guardians to the attendance office prior to the start of the school day. A blue pass will be issued and will serve as the pass for students to report to the attendance office prior to leaving the building.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SHOULD STUDENTS LEAVE THE SCHOOL CAMPUS WITHOUT PROPER PERMISSION FROM ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL/ATTENDANCE OFFICE. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN ADMINISTRATIVE DISCIPLINARY ACTION. ALL STUDENTS WHO LEAVE CAMPUS DURING SCHOOL HOURS MUST SIGN OUT THROUGH THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE BEFORE LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS.

Monitoring Student Attendance

It is the parents/guardians' responsibility to monitor their student's daily attendance. This can be done by utilizing the district’s Skyward Family Access Application. In addition, NEISD will send automated notices. When a student is absent from school for one or more periods. Please ensure that all contact information on Skyward is up to date in order to ensure communication. If you receive an absent email or phone call, please check your student’s attendance in Skyward. If your student was marked absent while they were here at school, please contact the teacher for verification of the absence.

Recording of Attendance/Absence Corrections

It is the teacher who records attendance, verifies attendance, and is responsible for correcting errors on attendance. Please contact them directly if you have any questions regarding your student's attendance in
their class.

School Business

Students who participate in school activities during the school day will be marked “S” for “School Business.” These absences DO NOT count towards the students attendance. This coding could take up to 2 days after the school activity to be entered in Skyward. Please check Skyward before calling to see if the absences have been updated.

Verification of Enrollment

The Texas Transportation Code requires individuals under 18 years of age who have not obtained a high school diploma or its equivalent to be enrolled in a public, home or private school, or GED program and must
meet specific enrollment conditions to obtain or renew a license. The Verification of Enrollment Eligibility (VOE) is a mandatory form required by the Department of Public Safety to apply for a motor vehicle license. This form can be obtained from the Counseling Office. The 90 percent attendance rule applies when determining VOE. Thus, if (1) the school awarded students credit for each class the semester prior to the application for the VOE form and (2) the school considers students currently enrolled at the time they applied for the VOE form, then students should be considered eligible for the VOE form (unless a published policy states otherwise). Summer school does not count as make-up time for attendance purposes unless the attendance committee makes summer school attendance a part of the students' plan to make up days missed.