Attendance Matters
Children can’t learn if they aren’t in school. When they are absent they are missing important first instruction, building confidence in their skills, and missing social opportunities. Make up work and missed homework can weigh down a child when they return.
Did you know that chronic absences in Kindergarden and PK is associated with lower academic performance in 1st grade and can lead to lower academic performance in 5th? These same children can struggle in reading by third grade. Children who miss 10 or more days of school are 3 times as likely to drop out.
Let’s do the math. If your child is absent once a day every other week, almost a month (18 days) of lost education. Three weeks of instruction is hard to make up and can slow your child’s performance. So think again about a “free” or a “mental health day”. Those days add up quickly and are considered unexcused. Any vacations or extended visits with family are unexcused absences.
At Boone, we take attendance very seriously. Texas state law says that a child who misses 10 or more days with unexcused absences are in violation of the compulsory attendance law. We have taken families to court for non-compliance for absences. We want your children here and learning.
Please direct any attendance matters or correspondence to Ester Tristan at ester.tristan@austinisd.org. Email is a preferred method of communication for absences or tardies. Notes for absences and tardies must include the student's name, date of occurence and reason for occurence. Phone calls are not an approved method of communication regarding absences and tardies.