• Excused Absences

    Notes from medical professionals will be accepted as an excused absence. Notes written by parents requesting an excused absence will be limited to 10 total days per year. If the total number of days exceeds 10, the student must have a doctor’s note to maintain an excused absence or must see the school nurse to decide if the student should stay at school or go home.

    Additional excused absences are as follows:

    • Personal sickness, sickness or death in the immediate family, quarantine, severe weather or road conditions making travel dangerous or any other reason acceptable to the administration.
    • Days of suspension. Students will receive full credit on work assigned during suspension.
    • Participating in court proceedings.
    • Migrant students’ last enrollment or early withdrawal.
    • Late enrollment of a student under the Texas Youth Commission.
    • Doctor or dental appointment with verification. State law does not penalize a student who has a doctor or dental appointment. Instead of an absence on the student’s records, “medical” is recorded. The following procedures need to be followed:
    1. If a student attends school for a portion of the day, signs out for a doctor/dental appointment, signs back in after the appointment, and provides documentation from the doctor/dentist, no absence is made on student’s record.
    2. If a student has an early morning doctor/dental appointment, signs in late to school, with documentation from the doctor/dentist, and attends school for the rest of the day, no absence is made on the student’s record.
    3. If a student attends school all morning, after the lunch periods and signs out for a doctor/dentist appointment, and brings documentation to the office upon his/her return to school the next day, no absence is marked on the student’s record.

     

    If You Have to be Absent

    The parent must call the junior high between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on the main number (972-872-3850). The reason for the student absence is to be given to the administrator taking the call, and the administrator will determine if it can count as an excused absence.

    1. The parent should call on the day of the absence and each day the student is absent.
    2. Parents who do not have a telephone must provide the school with a means of communicating with them (ex: work, neighbor, relative phone number, etc.)
    3. Parents who do not have access to any phone should send a note explaining the reason for the absence. 
    4. If a student is more than 20 minutes late to any class, he/she will be counted absent for the period. 
    5. If a student becomes ill or has to leave the school campus for any reason during the school day, the parent must sign them out in the main office. Failure to sign out through the office will result in the absence being marked “unexcused” and the student may be considered truant from school.

     

    RELEASE OF STUDENTS FROM SCHOOL

    Because class time is important, doctor’s appointments should be scheduled, if possible, at times when the student will not miss instructional time.

    A student will not be released from school at times other than regular dismissal hours except with permission from the principal or designee and according to the campus sign-out procedures. PARENTS OR GUARDIANS MUST SIGN THE STUDENT OUT IN THE OFFICE BEFORE LEAVING SCHOOL. Unless the principal has granted approval because of extenuating circumstances, a student will not regularly be released before the end of the instructional day. Students will not be permitted to leave school with individuals who are not recorded on the pupil registration form (PEIMS) and without a photo ID card.

    A student who will need to leave school during the day for any reason must bring a note from his or her parent that morning. A student who becomes ill during the school day should, with the teacher’s permission, report to the school nurse. The nurse will decide whether or not the student should be sent home and will notify the student’s parent.