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ATTENDANCE RECORDS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES - SAAH 2.2.5

• Student attendance records are retained for five years. During this five-year period, records must be made available to
state auditors upon request. At the end of each school year, attendance reports are stored electronically.

• Inactive students have their student files housed at the GISD campus last attended for two years after withdrawal. At
the end of the two years, all documents associated with special program eligibility, enrollment and withdrawal are
forwarded to Student Services for storage. (See Appendix - Attendance Documentation Needed)

EMERGENCY CLOSING OF SCHOOL

When conditions exist that make attending school unsafe, i.e., inclement weather, icy roads, lack of adequate heat,
running water, or electricity, the Superintendent or his designee will make a decision as to the closing of schools, either
for a full or partial day. Dates excused by the district because of such conditions will be coded “E-IW.” If it becomes
necessary to make up days in which school was closed, an announcement will be made well in advance of any make-up
date.

INCLEMENT WEATHER MAKE-UP DAYS IN HIGH SCHOOLS

Make-Up Days: For high schools with A-Day and B-Day schedules, published calendar A/B dates will remain as printed.
The make-up day(s) will be an A-Day if an A-Day was missed and a B-Day if a B-Day was missed. The result will be two
consecutive A-Days or two consecutive B-Days.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

Compulsory attendance is addressed in school board policy FEA. It is based on Texas Education Code 25.085. Children
who are six years of age and less than 19 years of age are required to attend school. A child who is required to attend
school shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided. Once a student
is enrolled, (s)he is required by law to attend school. This expectation also applies to students under six years of age or
over 19 years of age once enrolled. Students under age six and age 19 or older may be withdrawn from school without a
permissible reason because they are not required to meet compulsory attendance requirements. Exemptions to the
compulsory attendance law are found in the board policy (FEA legal) or Texas Education Code (25.085). Under-age
students are withdrawn with a code of “46”. Overage students are withdrawn with a code of “84” if withdrawn by
the school or “98” if withdrawn by the student or parent.

EXEMPTIONS TO COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

Exemptions to compulsory attendance include: attending private school, being home-schooled, being eligible for Special
Education services that cannot be appropriately provided by the district, having a physician’s certificate stating a
physical or mental condition makes attendance infeasible, living separate and apart from parents, experiencing
homelessness, having received a high school diploma or GED, being at least 16 years of age and attending a GED prep
course as recommended by a public agency having supervision or custody of student under court order, being enrolled
in Job Corp training, being enrolled in the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, or being enrolled in the Texas
Academy of Leadership in the Humanities. Students 17 years of age and attending a GED prep course with either –
permission of parent or the requirement of a court order -- are also exempt.

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