Attendance - Barton Creek Elementary School

Attendance calls are made for the safety of your child. Attendance notifications are sent when your student is marked absent from school. If you know your child will be absent from school because he/she is home sick or has an appointment for the day, please notify the school before 10 AM to avoid automated notifications. Please log in to the Smart Tag Parent Portal to document the absence. Eanes ISD will not accept phone calls to document an absence.

Parents of elementary students unable to enter the absence in Smart Tag, must provide written notice, within 5 school days of the absence, to the school office. Any written or emailed notes received after the allowed 5 days will be accepted, but noted as late and the absence will not be adjusted.

To see your child's attendance record, please check Skyward Family Access.

bceattendance@eanesisd.net

SMART tag

Learn more about SMART tag: www.eanesisd.net/smarttag

2024-25 Eanes ISD Attendance Updates

Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, absences in Eanes ISD will be coded as Funded or Unfunded. Eanes ISD receives approximately $53 per day per student for students either attending school or having a funded reason for being absent. This revenue, called Average Daily Attendance, accounts for 81% of our operating budget. Eanes ISD loses approximately $1 million per year due to unfunded absences.

Previously in Eanes ISD, funded reasons for being absent were coded as Excused absences. Starting in the 2024-25 school year, these absences will now be coded as Funded. Funded absences are defined by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and outlined below. Unfunded absences are any other absences not specifically described.

There are often valid reasons for Unfunded absences, and parents are strongly encouraged to provide documentation and communicate with the school around any absence. This documentation can be factored into discussions around school district attendance processes including determining grades and course credit, truancy, chronic absenteeism and final exam exemption considerations at the high school level. However, the attendance code of Documented will no longer be used starting in the 2024-25 school year.

Funded Absence Reasons

FUNDED ABSENCE REASONS

Below are the TEA-approved Funded absence codes:
For more detail see the Student Attendance Accounting Handbook

Reason Code	Description	Funding Details
AE	Discipline Alternative Education Placement (DAEP)
CI	Junior and senior career investigation	No more than 2 days/year
CN	Student US naturalization oath ceremony	No more than 2 days
CT	Required student court appearance	No more than 2 consecutive days per appearance
CV	Junior and senior college visit	No more than 2 days/year
CZ	Student US citizenship activity	2 days
DA	Distinguished Achievement Mentorship Program
DC	Dual credit program	Student is not on campus - does not qualify for Alternative Attendance Taking Time
DF	Department of Family & Protective Services or foster care conservatorship and misses school	No more than 2 days per activity, appointment or visitation
DV	Driver’s Permit/License (High School only)	1 day for each
EC	Election Clerk (High School only)	No more than 2 days/yr
HB	Homebound
IS	In-school suspension
LT	Life threatening illness/treatment	Medical documentation required
MD	Partial day - doctor appointment	Supported by documentation; includes telemedicine visits and generally recognized services for students with autism
MP	Parental/legal guardian military deployment	No more than 5 days/year
MR	Military recruitment visit	No more than 4 days/year
P	Partial day - doctor appointment for child of student	Medical documentation required
PT	Playing Taps (Secondary Only)
RH	Religious holy day	No more than 2 consecutive days
SR	School related (Field trips, UIL events)
TS	Short-term program TSBVI/TSD
TV	Full-time Texas Virtual School Network
WB	Off-campus work-based learning	Student is not on campus - does not qualify for Alternative Attendance Taking Time
XO	With school staff (Nurse, AP, Counselor)

90% Rule

90% RULE
Texas Education Code Section 25.092; FEC (Legal) FEC (Local)

(a)Except as provided in this section, a student in any grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 may not be given credit for a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90% of the days the class is offered.

*This is regardless of whether the student’s absences are funded/excused or unfunded/unexcused.

*Exceptions:

Students who have a serious life-threatening illness
Absences related to observance of religious holidays

In Eanes ISD, the academic calendar is 174 days. Elementary and middle school students must be present 157 days (no more than 17 absences) to receive credit/final grade for a class.

High school credits are awarded each semester; the fall semester has 85 days and the spring semester has 89 days. A middle- or high school student enrolled in a course for high school credit may be absent no more than 8 days each semester to receive final credit for a course.

(a-1) A student who is in attendance for at least 75% but less than 90% of the days a class is offered may be given credit or a final grade for the class is the student completes a plan approved by the school’s principal that provides for the student to meet the instructional requirements of the class.

In Eanes ISD, any student present 131 - 156 days (18 - 43 absences) would be eligible for this consideration. Examples of elements in a plan may include:

Maintaining attendance standards for the rest of the semester
Completing additional assignments, as specified by the committee or teacher
Attending tutorial sessions as scheduled
Completing other instructional programs, as specified by the committee
Taking an examination to earn credit, as outlined in policy

(a-3) A student’s excused absence under Section 25.087 (b)(3) may not be considered in determining whether the student has satisfied the attendance requirements under Subsection (a) or (a-1).

(b) The Board of Trustees of each school district shall appoint one or more attendance committees to hear petitions for class credit or a final grade by students who are in attendance fewer than the number of days required under Subsection (a) and have not earned class credit of a final grade under Subsection (a-1). Classroom teachers shall comprise a majority of the membership. A committee may give class credit or a final grade to a student because of extenuating circumstances.

In Eanes ISD, Grade Placement Committees (GPC), are convened for these purposes. Each campus forms their own GPC.

Truancy

TRUANCY
TEC Section 25.085; Family Code Section 25.093

Definition: When a child who is required to attend school fails to attend school without an excuse on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period.

Exceptions:

Pregnancy
Being in state foster care system
Experiencing homelessness
Having a severe or life-threatening illness or related treatment
Being the principal income earner for the student’s family

Types of truancy court filings:

Parent contributing to non-attendance: Campuses may file a criminal case on a parent or parents for contributing to non-attendance of a minor if the student is enrolled or should be enrolled in school, Pre-K to 12th grade.
Student truancy: Campuses may file a civil case on the student for truancy if the student is between 12 and 19 years of age and is enrolled or should be enrolled in school.

Campuses may file on both the parent(s) and the student (age 12-19) if they believe both are contributing to the truancy.

Steps before filing:
Campuses must implement at least one of the following Truancy Prevention Measures (TPM) to improve attendance before filing against the student or parent:

Impose a “behavior management plan” on the student
Impose school-based community service on the student
Refer the student to counseling, mediation mentoring, teen court program, community based services or other in-school or out of school services aimed at preventing student’s truancy