Attendance & HB 5

Attendance is important in a student’s educational journey, beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Under HB5, there are additional consequences for students whose absences exceed 10 percent of the school calendar, both excused and/or unexcused. Not only does the student risk losing credit (LOC) for the course, but a grade will not be issued until the parent addresses the problem with school personnel and a plan to determine what the child needs to recover credit.  We do understand that students may become ill or an unforeseen emergency may happen at any time of the year. 

a. "A student in any grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered."

Students who fall below 90 percent attendance will receive an “LOC” on their semester report card, signifying the potential loss of credit. In addition, to the potential loss of credit, dropping below 90 percent attendance may impact a student’s class ranking, grade point average and their eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities.

What If My Child Is Absent?

Attendance Notes Email - attendancesueshook@sisd.net

If your student is absent for any reason, you will need to write an email to the school explaining the absence with the date they were out. All absent notes must be turned in to the attendance office within 48 hours of the student returning to class. Any student out for more than two days, must have a doctor's note to receive an excused absence. Mrs. Isela Brinks, our Attendance Clerk, will input the note into our computer system to excuse your child's absence. If you know in advance that your child will be out for an extended period of time (i.e. surgery), please contact Mrs. Brinks to inform her of the absence so that arrangements can be made. Remember, that HB5 includes excused and unexcused absences to equal the 10 percent absences allowed before losing credit.

If you have any questions, please call Mrs. Isela Brinks at (915) 937-7129. 

Other House Bill 5 Requirements

When the state of Texas passed House Bill 5, there were many provisions put in place for students that not only effected attendance but significantly changed the requirements for high school graduation, graduation planning and state testing requirements at all levels. HB 5 is designed to instill more flexibility in public education by enabling students to either pursue a traditional path into colleges and universities or move directly into the workforce to help fill what business leaders say is a critical skills shortage. For more information about HB 5 please click on the link below that will navigate you to the SISD webpage that contains an informational video and more details.

HB 5 - A Pathway To Success