Attendance Matters

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Welcome to Galena Park ISD — Attendance Matters

Regular attendance is essential to student success. If your child will be absent, please report the absence as soon as possible by contacting your child’s campus attendance office (phone or campus portal) or by using the district’s online absence reporting system. When reporting, include your child’s full name, grade, date(s) of absence, and reason for the absence. Timely reporting helps campus staff accurately record attendance and coordinate any needed support for your child’s learning.

Excused absences include illness, medical or dental appointments, death in the immediate family, recognized religious holidays, and other lawful reasons defined by district policy. Some absences require a written excuse or documentation (for example, medical notes). Please submit absence notes directly to your child’s campus attendance office within the required campus timeline—either in person, by email, or through the school’s attendance portal—so the absence can be reviewed and coded correctly. Familiarize yourself with GPISD attendance policies posted on the campus or district website for specific procedures and timelines.

Texas compulsory attendance law requires students to attend school regularly; GPISD enforces this through the 90% attendance requirement and truancy prevention processes. Students must be present for at least 90% of days in a given course or school year to receive credit and avoid interventions. Chronic absences (frequently missing school, whether excused or unexcused) trigger support steps including family outreach, attendance improvement plans, and, when necessary, referrals to truancy prevention programs. To help your child improve attendance, set consistent bed and morning routines, schedule medical appointments outside school hours when possible, monitor attendance and grades through the campus portal, celebrate good attendance, and communicate proactively with teachers and campus staff about barriers to regular attendance. If you need assistance, contact your child’s campus attendance office or counselor — we’re here to partner with families to keep students in school and learning.

Report an Absence

Galena Park ISD believes that attendance is a crucial factor in student achievement. Thus, any absence from school represents an educational loss to the student. All students must comply with compulsory attendance laws and attend classes or engage in online learning on at least 90% of the days a class is offered. Failure to meet these requirements may result in truancy procedures and/or loss of course credit.

Following an absence, a parent/guardian must submit excuse notes to the attendance office within three (3) school days of the student's return to school. Absences can be reported by:
- Online Absence Excuse Form
- Parent Email to Attendance Office
- Parent Note Returned with Student
- Information to include:
Student's first and last name, ID#, grade
Date(s) of absence
Detailed reason for absence
Parent name, phone number, email address
Five days of absences may be excused by parent notifications (online absence form, email, or written note). Beyond that, medical or other official documentation may be required for an absence to be excused.
Doctor’s Visit: If a student is present for ANY part of a school day during which a doctor’s visit occurred, the student will NOT be marked absent if documentation from a medical professional is submitted to the attendance office upon the student’s return.
Always turn in ALL doctor, court, and college notes, as this does affect the coding of the absence

Excused Absences

A child required to attend school may be excused for temporary absence resulting from any cause acceptable to the teacher or principal of the school in which the child is enrolled. Excused absences may include temporary absences resulting from personal illness, death or illness in the family, quarantine, weather or road conditions that make travel dangerous, or a required court appearance. All absences for which the student brings a doctor’s note will be considered excused absences. If a student brings a parent note, the first five notes will excuse the absence, provided the absence lasts between one and four consecutive days. All absences of five days or longer will require a doctor’s note.

Any notes from the parent and/or guardian explaining the nature of the absence must be submitted no later than three (3) school days after the student’s absence and must include specific information as to the nature of the absence.
Information required:

Name of student
Campus
Date(s) of absence(s)
Specific reason for absence(s)
Signature of parent/guardian
Phone number of parent/guardian
Date
Excuse notes can be emailed directly to your child's campus. Click on the right-hand side of the tab below to open the list of campuses.

Need to Submit an Absence Note to Your Child's Campus?

Please click your child's campus below to submit an absence note. This is an additional way to help get excuse notes to the campus.
Please note: An absence note is required each time your child is absent from school. This note and any required documentation must be turned in within 3 school days of your child's return to school.

Attendance Policies

To receive credit in a class, students must attend at least 90% of the days the class is offered. Students who are in attendance for fewer than the prescribed number of days set by the law shall not be given credit for the class unless the attendance committee finds that the absence(s) are the result of extenuating circumstances. When returning to school after an absence, a student must bring a note signed by a parent that explains the reason for the absence; notes signed by the student, even with the parent’s permission, will be considered forgery and will result in disciplinary action.

The District accepts the following as extenuating circumstances for the purpose of granting credit or promotion:

An excused absence based on personal illness, illness or death in the family, quarantine, weather, or road conditions making travel dangerous, and any other unusual cause acceptable to the teacher, principal, or Superintendent or Superintendent’s designee.
Days of suspension.
Participation in court proceedings, child abuse/neglect investigation, or any court-ordered activity.
A migrant student’s late enrollment or early withdrawal.
Days missed as a runaway.
Completion of a competency-based program for “at-risk” students.
Late enrollment or early withdrawal of a student under the Texas Youth Commission.
Teen parents are required to care for their children.
Participation in a substance abuse rehabilitation program.
Religious holy days are a tenet of faith, and parents must submit a written request before the absence.
Appointment with a health care professional.
Obtaining U.S. citizenship.

If the attendance committee finds no extenuating circumstances for the absence, or that the conditions established by the committee for earning or regaining credit are not met, the committee shall deny credit for the class. Students whose petitions for credit are denied may appeal the attendance committee’s decision to the Board of Trustees by submitting a written request to the Superintendent's designee that includes the basis for their disagreement with the committee’s decision. The appeal shall be addressed in accordance with the student complaint policies. (See FNG (Legal) & FNG (Local)).

Compulsory Attendance Law

According to the Texas Education Code, Sec. §25.085 and §25.095
STATE OF TEXAS §
COUNTY OF HARRIS §

TEC Sec. §25.085. Compulsory School Attendance states:

(a) A child who is required to attend school under this section shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided.
(b) Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086, a child who is at least six (6) years of age, or who is younger than six (6) years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached his/her 19th birthday, shall attend school.
(c) Upon enrollment in prekindergarten or kindergarten, a child shall attend school.

IN ADDITION: A person who voluntarily enrolls in school or voluntarily attends school after the person's 19th birthday shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is offered. A school district may revoke a person's enrollment for the remainder of the school year if they have more than five unexcused absences in a semester. A person whose enrollment is revoked under this subsection may be considered an unauthorized person on school district grounds.

TEC Sec. §25.095. Warning Notice

If a student is absent from school on ten (10) or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year:

the student’s parent/person standing in parental relation is subject to prosecution for “Parent Contributing to Nonattendance” under Texas Education Code Section §25.093; and
The student is subject to referral to a truancy court for truancy under Section 65.003(a) of the Family Code.
It is the duty of the parent or person standing in parental relation to the student to monitor the student’s school attendance and require the student to attend school. If a student fails to attend school without excuse on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year, the school district may file a complaint against the student’s parent in a county, justice, or municipal court for an offense under Section 25.093.

When a student has been absent from school without excuse for three or more days, or for part of a day, within a four-week period, the parent will be notified in writing that the student is subject to truancy prevention measures under Section 25.0915 and will be asked to request a conference with school officials to discuss the absences.

90% Attendance Rule

In addition to the compulsory attendance law, districts must enforce the 90 percent rule, which states that students in grades K-12 must attend class for 90 percent of the time it is offered to receive credit or a final grade. The 90 percent rule applies to most absences, including excused absences. If the student doesn’t meet this requirement, an attendance committee may grant the student credit or a final grade, depending on the circumstances.

Chronic Absenses

Why Chronic Absenteeism Matters: What the Research Says

Nationally, an estimated 5 million to 7.5 million students are at risk academically each year because they are chronically absent—missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Chronic absenteeism is widespread. Research suggests the reasons for chronic absenteeism are as varied as the challenges our students and families face, including poor health, limited transportation, and a lack of safety, which can be particularly acute in disadvantaged communities and areas of poverty. It is a big problem at the national level!

Attendance Matters - Truancy Numbers

Truancy Prevention

What are Truancy Prevention Measures?
Truancy Prevention Measures are meaningful interventions aimed at addressing the root cause of a student’s unexcused absences. State law mandates parent and student participation.

Examples of Truancy Prevention Measures are:

Warning Notification Letters
Attendance improvement plan/contract
Parent/student conference
Parent/student educational meetings and programs
Counseling
Mentoring
Community-based services
TRIAD Referrals
Court Referrals

Tips for Improving Your Child's Attendance

Establish and stick to basic routines (early bedtime, set wake-up time, laying out outfits, etc.) that help your child develop the habit of on-time attendance.
Consistently talk to your child about why going to school every day is important. Help your child get excited about going to school.
Do not allow your child to stay home unless they have a contagious illness or are too sick to be comfortable. Sometimes your child may not feel well, but is not sick enough to stay home.
Come up with an alternative plan for whom you and your family can rely on to help get your child to school when something comes up.
Schedule doctor, dentist, or other healthcare appointments on early-release days, school holidays, or at the beginning or end of the school day.
Schedule vacations or other non-school-related activities during days when students are not scheduled to attend school.
If your family experiences personal setbacks (car trouble, loss of income, divorce, family illness, etc.) or anything that affects how your family functions, reach out to the school and ask for help. The campus can help you connect with the resources you need.
Stay involved and in constant communication with your child's school. Read all the information that is sent home with your child.
When your child is absent, work with teachers to provide additional opportunities for your child to learn and complete make-up work.
Follow district policy for reporting absences and submitting absence documentation within 3 school-days of your child's return to school.
Monitor your child's attendance through Skyward Family Access. If an absence is marked incorrectly, contact the campus attendance clerk.

The Importance of Regular Attendance

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success—both in school and in life. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child get better grades, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behavior, and have a better chance of graduating from high school.

When students are absent for fewer days, their grades and reading skills often improve—even among those students who are struggling in school. Students who attend school regularly also feel more connected to their community, develop important social skills and friendships, and are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, setting them up for a strong future.

As a parent, you can prepare your child for a lifetime of success by making regular school attendance a priority. By figuring out the reasons for your child's absences—whether they're physical or emotional—and taking advantage of support services such as tutoring, student mentoring, and after-school activities, you can help set your child on the path to success.

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