Parents should monitor/view your student's attendance details here for date(s) reference etc: Visit your Parent Portal (frontline/SIS attendance) to view attendance details for each class period (see the attendance tab next to grades). PARENT SELF-SERVE INSTRUCTIONS 

*It is important to monitor your student's attendance regularly (rec. to check at least bi-weekly) & note that numerous absences, whether excused or unexcused, may jeopardize a student’s ability to receive credit or final grades for classes (see the TEC, §25.092, for requirements related to minimum attendance for class credit or a final grade). 

If you cannot login to your portal please connect with AISD Technology Support or feel free to contact our AISD Help Desk:

• Families: 512-414-9187
• Students: 512-414-4357
• Staff: 512-414-8324

Once logged in to Parent Portal login-->Frontline/ERP/SIS tile-->attendance & notifications tabs (this is next to the popular "report cards" tab).

Once logged in check your "notifications" tab to adjust as needed to your preferences (attendance and grade alerts available) - additionally students also have a Student Portal and notifications tab for themselves and can adjust setting to get alerts on grades/attendance as well. Email notifications will email you the periods of absence vs. just saying "your student missed part of the day."

DO NOT SHARE YOUR LOGIN INFO WITH YOUR STUDENT. Also, attendance view in Blend or the App is not ideal to monitor official updates etc, just like grades (much easier to view on a larger screen and up to date/accurate.)

*Please upload all notes to the google form linked at the top of the page OR turn in at the front desk (only need to turn in once, but keep a copy or picture for your records if turning in a paper copy.

*Students MUST SIGN IN +/- OUT at the front desk if only missing a partial day (this is directly linked to our funding numbers please remind your student).

Medical visit: documentation must be submitted for the absence: a excuse note from/signed by the healthcare professional that describes the reason for the absence with the date(s) of the appointment (or procedure date + recovery dates). 

*Excuse notes from a health care professional or provider indicating that the student was ill, contagious, had a fever, or simply had an appointment. This note must specify the student’s full name, the date(s) the student has been ill or are excused for and the signature + contact info or other professional indication to ensure the note is from the health care professional. Only correct documents will be accepted, no edits to dates on paperwork as this makes the edit invalid. Only dates excused by doctor will be excused. (Notes stating "until fever free" or "until symptoms improve" are only considered excusable through 24-48 hours after an appt date - please contact your provider to update the note if extended time was recommended- some will require a phone call to the nurse or message through MyChart to update this. *IF your student has the flu/Covid, please ask the doctors office for add'l days on excuse note to recover, if needed.)

The campus attendance office will update attendance records only based on the documentation provided for the dates listed. Only valid dates on the form will be coded as ILH or MED (these valid dates will not count against the 90% policy once excused)

*Parent handwritten etc. notes saying they "had an appt" but turned in without an actual doctor's note w/ correct date(s) DO NOT qualify for any coding and will not be marked excused until the proper documentation is received in the attendance office.

*Virtual appts and lab-work appts do still require a medical excuse note from the provider, they can all write excuse notes for appts. 

*If you have a surgery scheduled, multiple days/weeks absent, or other medical appt type questions please reach out to the attendance office to inquire. 

*ALL notes should be turned into the attendance office (notes shared with trainer, coach, counselor, AP all need to be turned in by the parent to attendance - this is not done by staff members. Additionally, students should not fill out the google form, this is for parents and should be submitted by a parents-since it is asking for your signature/confirming. 

*CONCUSSIONS - please make sure to let the attendance office know ASAP (also the nurse) you will need to follow specific instructions if this is on going and the concussion excuse/instruction note should be shared by the parent/guardian with both.

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Parent excuse notes (only for a physically ill student): A parent/legal guardian should provide a parent note to excuse illness (ILP), but not for a medical appt, & please note parent written excuses do still count against the 90% attendance policy. (see printable one about for example of what info is needed)

*These notes are required, to insure it does not appear they are parent excused and not potentially skipping, and to help avoid the "warning letter" emails. 

*Printable parent "ill excuse" notes are available above, copies at the front desk can be used as well or use it as a template to communicate the correct information. 

Covid-19 & Attendance:

AISD COVID-19 Protocol (Effective March 2024): 

• Staff and student COVID-positive cases will be recommended (not required) to observe a 24-hour exclusion from school/district office and return when symptoms and fever have resolved without medication. Masking upon return is recommended but optional. Based on new CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance.

1. Please send an excuse note from your healthcare professional with the exact individual dates or the exact timeline of dates to be excused (only exact days on this document are coded as ILH/MED - both codes do not count against the student's 90% policy once updated in the systems) 

AND/OR

2. Send a add'l parent note for any add'l dates not on the medical excuse document you provided. Once marked as parent excuse illness days, as code ILP, this does still count against a student's 90% policy.) *you may utilize the standard parent note to report these, see printable forms below. 

*Please contact the nurse if you have covid questions/concerns: amanda.rose@austinisd.org

**Notes stating "until fever free" or "until symptoms improve" are only considered excusable through 24-48 hours after an appt date.

If your student has multiple days out, please contact mylissa.schwartz@austinisd.org to discuss documentation requirements, but basically every date to be excused should be on the excused note or a specific to and from date. Partial days will need to be backed up with a parent note, please be specific.

Ideally these DPS appts are scheduled outside of school hours, but if your student is only able to get an appt during school hours please read carefully:

*Student (15 years or older) is excused for no more than 1 day per school year to obtain a driver's license or learner’s license.

ONLY ONE FORM NEEDED. *Parent signed form (must be signed by a parent/guardian) is called "DPS Driver’s License Verification Documentation form" (printable form available above in the printable forms list)

*Tip: if you need a "VOE" see the Registrar's pager here to sign up: Registrar  (3-5 days processing time )

*ASK EACH COLLEGE FOR A VERIFICATION OF ATTENDANCE LETTER: 

Documentation from the institute of higher learning, with the letterhead, a signature of the official from the institute, contact information, & specifying the students name with dates of visits(s) will excuse a college visit. 

This OFFICAL document is REQUIRED & no email pre-confirmation notes for a planned visit will be accepted in it's place or ahead of time. 

Please note: 

* A maximum of two (2) days during the junior and senior year may be taken to visit an institution of higher education accredited by a generally recognized accrediting organization to determine the student’s interest in attending the institution. Travel days are not included in the 2 days allowed to be excused, only the exact tour/visit day(s) on the documentation provided by the college.

*IF more than two days of college visits are planned, they must be approved by the administration PRIOR to the absence being potentially excused. Please contact your assistant principal with questions, the attendance office cannot approve this. Travel days are not included.

*If you forget to get a verification letter, please reach out to the campus visited and ask for one via email. 

*College auditions do count as "college visits", but again only 2 days per year are allowed for this code. If you are a fine arts major please speak with your Asst. Principal if more dates are required (theater majors etc. )

Sometimes, students may be in the wrong seat during attendance, tardy but marked absent and not updated yet, or at a school event (the teacher for the class and/or the staff in charge of the extracurricular activity has to turn in a form to adjust these afterwards). These things do take time to process. Please have your scholar reach out to their teacher first to inquire if they have concerns.

Field trips/sport event attendance are marked normally by the teachers assigned to the student’s period(s) as unexcused when a student is not present in class, as required, and then will be updated after the event by the attending teacher, it is a requirement for them to do so but then is also a process which may take a while to update.  *If it has been more than 5 working days, please contact the teacher/coach your student was present with at an event to double check they were on the list submitted. 

All ISS & HSS questions should be discussed with the assistant principal assigned to your student. The ISS attendance roster is updated periodically throughout the week and any HSS would require a referral process from the Asst. Principal, which may take some time. *please contact your AP if you have questions. 

ISS-does not count against the 90% policy, they are excused.

HSS-DOES still count against the 90% policy, they are marked as suspended & not excused.

Unfortunately, I simply cannot adjust any attendance without a proper note from staff or admin etc. McCallum scholars should speak with the teacher themselves and then have them let me know if I need to adjust any attendance if needed. They may come to the attendance office if they have any questions after that.  The teacher will have to report attendance changes to me with a specific teacher only form. (Teachers/Coaches )

*Students may also sign up for attendance notifications in their student portal (same tab in the Frontline/ERP/SIS tile, next to the "report cards tab". 

If your student is testing, they will likely not be in a regular scheduled class for attendance. The teacher will mark them absent and then within a few days the attendance specialist will single handedly fix each student's attendance with the attendance sheet that is taken in the testing room. It is not allowed to pre-post or fix attendance this same day. Parents/Guardians will get a notification of missed class & it will be updated as soon as possible. 

Homebound services: please email the homebound teacher for inquiry, you may cc the attendance office to communicate easier if you would like. 

Life-threatening illnesses: Please email the attendance office and/or your student's counselor to inquire if qualification is possible. Any documentation shared with a counselor or other staff member will need to be submitted by the parent to the attendance office as well to review for qualification. The attendance office can help you on a case-by-case basis to get the correct doctor's note(s) and paperwork needed, when possible.

Recovery/outpatient day programs/ partial hospitalization programs: (Please submit paperwork ASAP  from the medical facility with student's treatment admission date) Health care professional official notes for these must specify the student’s treatment admission and the anticipated period of the student’s absence relating to the illness or related treatment, students full legal name, . THEN, when returning to campus the excuse note from medical facility must be updated with the actual discharge dates. you may email these to mylissa.schwartz@austinisd.org

Students not in compliance with immunizations are excluded from classes until they are able to present an updated immunization record. 
*Documentation from school nurse indicating non-compliance with immunization requirements-> student's attendance will be coded as "IM" in attendance. Please contact the school nurse if you have questions about vaccine compliance. 
**ONCE ATTENDANCE IS CODED WITH THE "IM" CODE --> PLEASE NOTE THIS CODE STILL COUNTS AGAINST THE 90% ATTENDANCE POLICY RULE: PARENTS WILL NEED TO SUBMIT A DOCTOR EXCUSE NOTE FOR ANY VACCINE APPOINTMENT DAYS OR ANY DAY AFTER VACCINE REACTION DAYS - A PARENT NOTE OR VACCINE CARD/REPORT WILL NOT EXCUSE THIS-IT MUST BE A DOCTOR SIGNED EXCUSE NOTE.

Military Enlistment (ENL): Student who is 17 years of age or older and pursuing enlistment in a branch of the United States Armed Services or the National Guard may be excused for this purpose.

*Documentation that verifies the student’s activities related to pursuing enlistment in a branch of the Armed Services or the Texas National Guard such as a letter from the branch of the Armed Service of the United States or Texas National Guard indicating the dates of visitation; dates may not exceed four days.  The letter must be dated and signed w/ student’s full name. 

*no more than four days of school during the period the student is enrolled in high school. 

Military Deployment (MIL): Student is absent to visit with legal parent/stepparent/guardian who is an active-duty member of the uniformed services and has been called to duty for, is on leave from, or is immediately returned from continuous deployment. A maximum of five days during the school year may be excused. 

*Documentation from military branch of service indicating date of deployment or return from deployment. Note: All sensitive information must be redacted from the documentation. Proof of legal

Playing Taps (TAP): Student misses' school for the purpose of sounding “Taps” at a military honors funeral held in Texas for a deceased veteran.  

*Funeral program or letter/documentation from the funeral home indicating student's name and states they were participating in the sounding of “Taps”. 

 Attendance Warning letters are delivered each approx. monthly, when our automated system indicates 3 or more unexcused absences. If you received this auto-email/letter from the main office about attendance, please first review your student’s attendance record in the AISD Parent Portal. Then submit any document(s) that still need to be turned into the attendance office that you may have forgotten or may have been lost in a backpack etc. Your student's attendance may have been updated between the print date of this letter and when you received it, please double check by logging in to you parent portal. Visit your Parent Portal (frontline/SIS attendance) to view attendance details for each class period (see the attendance tab next to grades). 

*Please contact your student's Asst. Principal if you have concerns about multiple absences needing make-up hours for excessive absences/skipping class concerns, etc. 

Mentorship & work-based Learning (MNT): High School student is participating in a mentorship approved by district personnel to serve as one or more of the advanced measures needed to complete the Distinguished Achievement Program out lined in 19 TAC Chapter 74.     

*Documentation from the Distinguished Achievement Program. 

Funeral(s) (OTH):  *please send a handwritten note with explanation of missed time, please include the relation of departed to your student as the this will then have to be reviewed by the Attendance committee for approval. No more than a max of 2 days, if you have to travel is approved to be excused-please also list the place to travel if needed. Please contact your student's AP if you have concerns. 

Family Emergencies: These are considered unexcused, and cannot be coded excused, but are to be included in the 10% of class-time allowed for class absences. Please do let your student's assistant principal know any details you may want to share or to communicate any concerns. Counselors may be of assistance as well, please contact them if your student needs support. 

Court (CRT): Absent due to attending a required in court appearance.

*to meet with probation officers and other absences related to court ordered activities outside the courtroom do not qualify as required court appearances.

*Copy of pleading or other official document filed with the court such as a notice from the court clerk regarding a hearing or trial date; jury summons; subpoena etc. MUST have date of absence and student's full name for absence to be excused. 

Family Protective Services Obligations: Absence due to attending Texas Family Code specific activities.

*Documentation must include DFPS personnel, student name, dates of activities (Caseworkers should provide this documentation)

*this code is kept private within the district to provide privacy for our students. Please email attendance office or your students assistant principal if you have a direct questions about this specific type of attendance. 

Election Clerk (EC): Student 16 years or older may be excused for absence to serve as student early voting clerk/student election clerk (travel days limited to not more than 1 day to and 1 day from) *must provide both completion of training course & documentation from election official.

Citizenship & Naturalization (CIT): US Citizenship and Immigration Services office appointment notice/ Biometric Screening: absence is for attending to the student’s own citizenship or oath ceremony.

How many days can be missed before losing credits? & Twilight Program/Saturday School: No more than approx. 4 unexcused days/per course period/per semester, otherwise hours will need to be made up as they will be below 90% attendance @ Twilight after school days or Saturday School. *Must sign up with a counselor for make-up/tutoring work or assigned assistant principal for attendance make up & details.

SPED/504: Sped and 504 accommodations do not include directly excusing attendance with said paperwork or excuse notes. Please see your student's assistant principal or the 504 coordinator for inquiry or questions/concerns. 

Make up hours - For attendance recovery please meet with your students assigned asst. principal to discuss options. Tutoring and attendance logs must be kept up with and are the student's' responsibility. 

McCallum Twilight program: 

2024/25: (school year 2024/25 dates pending) -see principal's weekend update emails for up to date Saturday info). Should be available for the Spring 2025. 

2023/24:

TWILIGHT starting on October 3rd. Running from October 3rd to December 6th, the program will be available exclusively on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, taking place in room 155, from 4:45 to 6:15 pm. The program's primary aim is to facilitate credit recovery, grade repair, and attendance make-up. To get started, students are required to meet with their school counselors, who will assist in registering them for this beneficial program or for attendance hour makeups please contact your students' Assistant Principal. We strongly encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to boost their academic progress.

Saturday School: 8am-Noon, students MUST be on time as doors will be locked at 8:00am on the dot.

*occasional Saturdays every month, (school year 2024/25 dates pending) -see principal's weekend update emails for up to date Saturday info). They must bring work and work the entire 4 hours, there will be no coming late/leaving early allowed. Please contact your student's counselor if you have additional questions about Twilight or Saturday school. For attendance recovery please meet with your students assigned asst. principal to discuss options. *Tutoring and attendance logs must be kept up with and are the student's' responsibility. 

 AISD attendance FAQs(link)

*Changes simply cannot be made without all proper documentation. Please read documentation requirements before submitting notes. 

*Attendance notifications are from an automated system (you can adjust your phone/email preferences in the parent portal, see above).

*Even if you give advance notice or turn in a note the day of absences, it's impossible for us to beat the notification system. Please check your parent portal when a notification is missed, sometimes these are tardies, or just single periods missed. 

*Every single attendance note is manually entered which is why we ask parents to allow a minimum of 72 hours for attendance changes to show in Parent Self-Serve (frontline/SIS), though it may take shorter or longer to adjust and be viable in the parent portal. 
 

How can I help the attendance process? 

*Contact the PTA if you would like to sign up to volunteer to help with the front office and/or the attendance office, we could use your help!

* Please try to schedule appointments for your student before/after school, but if that is too difficult, try and schedule medical appointments after 10:30 AM. Austin ISD is required to submit its attendance to the Texas Education Agency reflecting student attendance at a specific time each day (1st/5th  period - 9:05-10:35am). 

*Please do not send multiples of the same document, simply choose either the google form submission or turn in a note to the front desk & be patient this just adds more to the queue!

*Read all instructions carefully for special excuse notes/forms (see below for details). 

*take pictures to save/file in a folder with all your documents before turning them in - for you records.