As you know, having students in school every day is a key to success. Missing school is missing instruction. No matter how hard we try to catch students up, missing the first instruction creates a deficit for that student. Compulsory attendance laws state that students must be in school a minimum of 90% of the time. Students can be retained if they are in school less. Truancy laws state that students must be in school unless they have an excuse such as illness, death in the family, etc. Parents are permitted to write a note to excuse absences for 5 times.
Attendance percentages have decreased significantly across the state and nation since the pandemic. As an administrator and knowing the importance of attendance this is very concerning. When I see students struggle and notice the attendance is inadequate, it raises a red flag. We communicate frequently with parents about attendance issues. We contact parents the morning of. Teachers also contact parents. If we notice excessive absences we schedule conferences and try to help families with anything that is keeping students from being at school. We are here to help. Please reach out.
Late arrivals and early leave days also contribute to being behind academically. Students who are 10 minutes late every day miss 50 minutes a week which would be 200 minutes a month. This really adds up. It also can contribute to students feeling rushed and anxious as they have missed the first moments of the day where the class is doing their morning meeting and getting organized for the day and beginning instruction.
I think we can agree that the ultimate goal for all of us is student academic success. Please partner with us and have students in school every day. If you are having issues with attendance, please contact Angela Jackson angela.jackson@bryanisd.org so that she can assist you and we can develop a plan for success together.