Attendance

Absence Reporting

If a student is absent for any reason, a parent or guardian must report the reason for absence to the Attendance Office.

**Only ONE option below is needed to report a FULL DAY absence**

1. Submit the Online Absence Reporting Form on KDE's homepage under the link "Report an Absence" on the day of the absence only. 

OR

2. Call our Front Office at 281-234-2500

• To report an absence for a previous/future day(s), contact your campus ADA via phone or email, or send a note with your student.
• Please notify the Attendance Office for EACH day of an absence to prevent a Compulsory Attendance Notification letter from being generated for your child by the Katy ISD police department.
  You are welcome to contact the teachers, but the Attendance Clerk must be notified as well.
• Healthcare Notes should be submitted on the day the child returns from an absence. The specific date(s) requiring the student to be absent from school must be indicated on the note for it to be excused.

All absences are considered UNEXCUSED until the proper notification and/or documents have been received by the attendance office.

To qualify for an excused absence, reason must be in accordance with District Policy for excused reasons*

Student Check-ins and Check-outs

Tardies

Please help us get each day off to a good start by having your child in school on time. A student is considered tardy when the student is not in the proper place with all needed materials before the tardy bell rings at 8:30 a.m. The school doors open at 8:10 a.m. 

Arriving Late to School: Tardy vs. Absence

If your child is checked in between 8:30 a.m. and 9:55 a.m. for personal reasons (i.e. travel, family celebration, return from appointment without proper documentation) he/she will be considered Tardy. Any student that is checked in AFTER 9:55 a.m. for personal reasons will be considered absent.

Leaving Early from School: Full Day vs. Partial Day Absence

If your child is checked out before 9:55 a.m. for personal reasons (i.e. travel, family celebration, return from appointment without proper documentation) he/she will be considered absent. Any student that is checked out after 9:55 a.m. will have a partial day absence. 

Students may NOT check out after 3:10 p.m. as they will be moving to their dismissal locations at this time.​

Who Can Check Out A Student?

Only a person specified as parent/guardian on the student’s enrollment card may check out that student from school or authorize another individual to pick up the student for them. Emergency Contacts may not check out students unless there is an emergency situation (i.e. student illness).    

• Parent/guardian: Parents/guardians listed on the enrollment card may check their students out. They must come to the front office with their photo ID.
• Authorized adult: The parent/guardian must send WRITTEN permission to our Front Office Staff at KDE Transportation. The written authorization MUST INCLUDE a copy of the parent/guardian’s driver's license, the full name of the person picking up the student, the reason, and the time they need to check out. This applies even if the person is an emergency contact.

Request for Special Absence

Occasionally, a student needs to be absent for a special reason (i.e. family trip, sports event, etc.).  A Pre-Arranged Absence Form should be obtained from the Attendance Office, signed by a Parent/Guardian, and returned to the ADA Clerk prior to the absence.  The completed form will then be submitted to the grade level principal for a status determination (excused or unexcused). 

Viewing Your Student’s Attendance Records

Parents are able to access current attendance data via the Home Access Center or via the Katy OnTheGo Mobile app.

Compulsory Attendance

Texas requires a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached his/her 19th birthday to attend school for the entire period the program is offered unless exempt by TEC 25.086. While students are not required to enroll in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, once enrolled the students are required to attend school. TEC 25.085 and Board Policy FEA (LEGAL)

Truancy Enforcement

Compulsory Attendance Notification (CAN) Letters

If a student has 3 unexcused absences in a 4-week period or 6 unexcused absences in 6 months, the parent will receive a Compulsory Attendance Notification.  The parent should contact the attendance office to correct any errors. If the absences are not corrected and unexcused absences continue, further Truancy Prevention Measures may be taken. These warnings are the first steps in the process.

Failure to Attend Letters/Doctor Note Required

When a student’s absence for personal illness exceeds 5 consecutive days or a total of 8 days in a six-month period, the student shall present an original “doctor’s excuse” for any additional absences due to illness. For this reason, it is best to provide a doctor's note whenever possible.

Attendance for Credit

In addition to the statute related to compulsory attendance, a student must also be in compliance with the attendance for credit statute, which states that the student must be in attendance for at least 90% of the days a class is offered in order to gain credit or be promoted. All absences, excused and unexcused, are counted for the purpose of determining attendance for credit.