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Lamar Cons. High School

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Attendance Office

Attendance Office

Why Attendance Matters

Academic Achievement

 

Students who attend school regularly are more likely to achieve academic success, graduate on time, and pursue higher education opportunities.

Social and Emotional Development

 

School provides a supportive environment where students can develop social skills, build friendships, and enhance their emotional well-being.

Future Success

 

Regular attendance instills valuable habits such as punctuality, responsibility, and commitment, which are essential for success in life.

Attendance Tips

Communicate with the school: If your child experiences challenges that affect their attendance, please reach out to the school for support and resources. We are your partner and here to help you however we can. 

 

Encourage a love of learning: Foster a positive attitude towards school and learning by engaging in educational activities with your child at home.  If there are areas where your child’s school or academic experience can improve, we encourage you to speak with your school principal or educator. 

Establish a consistent routine: Ensure your child gets enough sleep, eats a healthy breakfast, and has ample time to prepare for school each morning.  If you need help with providing meals for your child or are in need of transportation, please contact your child’s principal. 

 

Schedule appointments outside of school hours: Whenever possible, schedule doctor's appointments, dental check-ups, and other appointments during non-school hours.  Even missing a half day of school for an appointment can be disruptive to your child’s academic experience. 

District Attendance Policy

  • It is important that you contact your child’s school if your child is absent from school. 

    On the day of your student’s absence, you will receive a notification via phone call, text, or email even if the absence has been reported via our district system. Contacting parents and guardians of students who are not in class is an important measure undertaken by the District to ensure the safety of all of our students.

  • Absences that are not excused may result in disciplinary action. 

    All absences are considered unexcused, until the school receives a note or email documenting a valid reason for the absence.  If the reason isn’t valid, the absence is still considered unexcused. If the note isn’t received within [##] days, the absence is considered unexcused. If a note is received within [##] days, the absence may be reclassified as excused. Unexcused absences are considered “unlawful absences” if the student is of compulsory school age.

  • [School District Name] recognizes that there may be legitimate reasons for absences, such as illness, family emergencies, or religious observances. Parents/guardians are required to provide documentation to excuse absences. Documentation must be submitted within [##] of days after the absence occurs. 

    A student absence is considered excused under the following circumstances:

    • Illness
    • Family emergency
    • Death of a family member
    • Medical or dental appointment
    • Pre-approved educational travel (not to exceed [##] days)
    • Pre-approved religious instruction (not to exceed [##] hours/year)
    • Bona Fide religious holiday
    • Pre-approved tutoring exception (see Policy for details)
    • Court hearing
    • Dismissed from school by a school nurse or administrator
    • Care provided by a licensed health care or therapy practitioner
    • Parent deployed for or on leave from combat posting
    • “Rare and extraordinary circumstances” approved by the Superintendent (this is very narrowly defined)

  • Students who miss a significant number of school days, regardless of the reason, are considered chronically absent and may face academic and social challenges. [School District Name] is committed to working with families to address chronic absenteeism and support student success. We are committed to your child’s success and we are your partner. Together, we can set your student up for success! 

  • Review the state’s attendance policy [update URL].

    [PLACEHOLDER CONTENT] The Board requires that school-aged pupils enrolled in District schools attend school regularly in accordance with state laws. The educational program offered by [School District Name] is predicated upon the presence of the pupil and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. Please refer to [Site Name linked to URL] for more information.
     

Frequently Asked Questions..

Please send all student notes and excuses regarding your student’s attendance to: LCHSattendance@lcisd.org

  • Student will need to discuss absence with assigned teacher. Once addressed teacher will email the clerks to make adjustments.

  • Lamar does not require you to call in. Simply, email attendance clerks with student name and student ID in subject line. Give the date with reason student will not be present in school with parent name and contact phone number.

  • Yes, notes are required explaining any absence. Even if you pick your student up early from school, a note is required when they return to school. A parent note will suffice if you do not think the illness warrants a visit to the doctor. If your student does see their doctor, please bring the original “Return to School” note from the doctor. If your student is not sick but misses school for other documented purposes, official documents are required to excuse the absence, such as original court documents excusing student from school, signed by the court clerk, religious leaders, etc. (Please refer to the Attendance Policy in the Secondary Student Handbook for specifics) 

  • You have FIVE school days to bring notes in to the attendance office. No exceptions. Fax copies are accepted only if they come directly from the doctor's office. If you need to keep the original document for any reason, present the original to us and we will make the copy for our files. When a student reaches three absences per semester, the parent will receive written notification of absences. After reaching the maximum number of allowable absences in the semester, parent(s) will be notified by letter of the student’s attendance record and the possible consequences for his/her absences. 

  • You may “Appeal” the absences for medical reasons or certain extenuating circumstances. You will need original medical notes for back-up. There is a link on the Attendance Page for the Appeals Form and Appeals Process is explained in the 2021-2022 LCISD Secondary Student Handbook.
    English Version of Handbook
    Spanish Version of Handbook in development

  • Your student should bring a note from home explaining when you will be picking them up. This note should be brought to the reception area first thing in the morning, so that we can call and confirm the note. If your student will be driving themselves to an appointment we will need a number to contact you before we can release the student and they will receive an off campus pass. To the event that you are picking them up,  you will need to come in and sign them out. Please be prepared to show a valid State Issued Photo ID; this is LCISD policy and we enforce it at Lamar. We also accept phone calls for early release, advance notice is appreciated and will help expedite the process, but will not take precedence over parents who are already waiting. Students will be released in order of parent’s arrival.

    *Every student is required to sign in and out at the reception area. No exceptions! Unless going to the tardy calculator.

  • We will not release students to anyone other than those listed on the Emergency Contact card. We do not accept phone calls requesting us to do so. We DO accept a student to bring in a written request from home that is signed and dated (ONLY AS A ONE TIME PICK-UP). The student must bring the request to the Attendance Office in the morning. The person’s name should be clearly written on the request and it will need to match the name on their State Issued Picture ID, which will be required at the time of pick-up. If you are unsure who is on your list, please feel free to call us. If you want to update the list you need to visit the Registrar's office in person. Any special situations need to be arranged in advance through your student's Assistant Principal. 

  • We will only call students out of class before 3:25 pm. The afternoons get very busy, and many times your students are outside or in other areas where they are not easily notified. Please let us know as early as possible if you are picking up your student.
    *We WILL not allow a student to be signed out after 3:25 pm.

  • Yes. The school nurse rarely “sends” a student home ill. The nurse will always notify a parent in the event a student becomes sick at school. If the nurse determines the student to be running a fever or has become contagious, she will have the student picked up and a written excuse is still required. If the parent decides the student needs to go home, the parent needs to send a written excuse to cover the absence.

    **If your student is running late to school, a parent note needs to be written to excuse any tardy or absences accumulated. If they are 15 minutes late (TARDY) or less, they must report directly to the Attendance Office for a TARDY pass. If they are more than 15 minutes late to class or miss the last 15 minutes or more, they are absent and will need a written excuse. As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s attendance please feel free to give us a call anytime. Our hours are 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

  • Attendance Codes:

           Code                    Description

    A-A Teacher absence codes
    E-EC Extenuating circumstances
       
       
       
       
       
       

     

     

     

Strong partnerships between families and schools are essential for ensuring student success. By working together, we can create a culture of attendance where every student feels motivated and supported to attend school every day.