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LATE ARRIVAL TO SCHOOL/TARDIES

***Three tardies do NOT equal an absence for attendance or disciplinary purposes.

DEFINITION

Late Arrival to School: Students who do not arrive at the scheduled beginning of the school day or class period can be
classified as either tardy or partial day / period absent. The late arrival time should be entered in the comment section
of the attendance record and either a “T” or “A” absence reason entered in 1st period. Additional notes may be entered
in the “ATN Notes” section of the Skyward attendance record.

All campuses are required to use the Skyward Tardy Kiosk as documentation for “tardy” arrivals to school. Students who
arrive during the “tardy window” are checked in through the tardy kiosk. The arrival time is “stamped” into Skyward
and the student’s attendance record. At the elementary level, tardies recorded through the Tardy Kiosk are noted in the
student’s record as “T”s. At the secondary level, tardies recorded through the Tardy Kiosk are noted in the student’s
record as “K”s or “Kiosk”. Teachers at the elementary level DO NOT record tardies. Tardies recorded by secondary
teachers are recorded as “T”s.

State law does not allow for students to miss any part of the school day. Students who do not arrive to school at the
scheduled beginning of the school day can be classified as late arrivals and counted absent for “compulsory attendance
purposes.” “Tardies” are not addressed in state law. When a campus classifies a late arrival as a tardy, the tardy cannot
be used in the calculation of a violation of the compulsory attendance law. A tardy cannot be used to justify any court
filing for truancy. GISD district procedure allows late students to be considered “tardy” rather than “absent” using the
following guidelines. :

1 – 18 minutes late to any period is considered “tardy.”
High School
19 minutes or more is considered a single period absence.
1 – 10 minutes late to any period is considered “tardy.”
Middle School
11 minutes or more is considered a single period absence.
1 – 10 minutes late to school is considered “tardy.”
Elementary School
11 minutes or more (before 10:00 AM) is considered a partial day absence.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TARDY / PARTIAL DAY ABSENCE MARKING

All late arrivals to school that are considered tardies (1 – 10 minutes) are marked in the first attendance period with the
arrival time entered in the “comments” by the Skyward Tardy Kiosk. Eleven minutes or more late arrival to school is
considered a “partial day absence” marked in the first period of the student’s record as a “U.” If the late arrival extends
past 10:00 AM, the “snapshot moment” the student will be marked absent in the second period and it will be considered
a full day absence (for funding purposes.) If a student is checked out of school more than 20 minutes before the end of
the school day (typically 3:00), a “partial day absence” will be marked in the third attendance period. All partial day
absences can be considered for truancy purposes. Elementary teachers should not enter a tardy code when taking
student attendance. All elementary tardies must be entered in the school office. Elementary teachers record
attendance in the second period attendance section. Late arrivals to school must be documented in the school office.
“Partial Day Absences” must be entered with the arrival time in the Skyward “comments” section.

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