No Credit (NC) Received:

A student who exceeds the number of allowable absences will NOT receive credit for the course.

A student who receives an NC in a course may regain credit status by attending Saturday School or successfully completing the plan set by the administrator. This plan may include making up attendance hours by attending tutoring and logging it on the appropriate form.

Students who receive an NC are not eligible to receive a VOE form that is required in order to receive a Texas Driver’s License until the following semester in no additional NCs are received.

Excused Absences: 

Acceptable reasons for an excused absence with approved documentation to verify the absence include the following:

• Personal or family illness verified by a note from parent/guardian NOT TO EXCEED 9 TOTAL DAYS per semester.
• Natural disasters, weather or road conditions as declared by NEISD making travel dangerous.
• Death outside the family.
• Family Emergency recognized and approved by administration. 

Unexcused Absences: 

Unacceptable reasons for attendance will be documented as unexcused absences and are subject to grading policy. An unexcused absence will be penalized equal to late work with a 20% deduction from the total grade earned will be taken. Unexcused absences include the following:

• Truancy
• Vacations/Pleasure Trips
• Parent/Guardian Notes for Personal or Family Illness in excess of 9 days per semester
• Youth programs not associated with the school
• Car problems
• Oversleeping
• Birthday
• Jobs

Acceptable Reasons for an Absence:

These absences must be accompanied by appropriate documentation to verify absences.

• Required Court Appearance (with subpoena)
• Religious Holy Days
• Military TAPS
• Doctor/Dentist Appointment with a signed doctor note within 2 days of the absence.
• Activities relating to obtaining a US Citizenship
• District approved school business activities
• Learner’s Permit (1 day)
• Driver’s License (1 day)

Absent Tardy:

A student who arrives more than 5 minutes late or leaves class with more than 5 minutes left in the class will receive an absence in that class.

Health Care Notes:

All health care notes must be turned in to the attendance office no later than 2 days after a student returns to school. Notes turned in after 3 days will remain an Unexcused absence.

College Visits:

Junior or Senior students are allowed a maximum of two days per year to visit a college or university. The appropriate documentation must be submitted and can be picked up in the attendance office.  The form may be downloaded by clicking here.

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 state’s allotted 9 absences. Please allow 1-2 business days for absences to be adjusted for school business.

Skyward Family Access:

It is a parent’s duty to monitor the student’s school attendance and this can be done by utilizing the district’s Skyward Family Access Application. In addition NEISD sends 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. 

Check Out Procedures:

If a student must be checked out of school for a Medical/Dental Appointment or other planned event, etc., - a parent/guardian can send a note with the student specifying the time you will be picking up the student.  The student will turn in this note prior to 8:45 a.m. to the Attendance Office.  The student will be given a pass to leave class at the specified time and can meet the parent/guardian at the front circle.  If the parent/guardian did not send a note,  a parent/guardian must sign-out the student in the Attendance Office and show valid photo identification before leaving campus with the student.

Please allow time in your schedule for the Attendance Office to retrieve your student from their class.  (Students could be testing, in Athletics, or in a Lab)

Cut off times for student pick up is 20 minutes before the end of the school day. (3:55 p.m. Regular school day, 1:40 p.m. Early Release)

If a student becomes ill at school, he/she needs to report to the school nurse.  The nurse will determine if he/she needs to be excused due to illness.  The parent/guardian will be contacted, asked to come, and sign out the student in the Attendance Office.  If the student is sent home by the nurse, this is considered an excused absence for the remainder of the day.  Subsequent absences will need a parent note to be excused.  Should the nurse choose not to send a student home due to illness and the parent chooses to sign out their student, this is an unexcused absence until a parent note is received.

Failure to utilize proper sign out procedures will result in a 2 hour detention for truancy. 

All doctor’s notes must be original or faxed directly from the doctor’s office.All notes must be submitted within 2 school days. Click Here For District Handbook (attendance guidelines pg. 83)