Attendance & 90% Loss of Credit Policies

Daily school attendance and on-time arrivals are critical to your student’s success. Parents/Guardians, please be diligent in discussing with your child the importance of regular school attendance and arriving on time. Below are some FAQs that will help guide you through MHS attendance procedures.

Where to send Parent Notes? ¿Dónde enviar notas para padres?

Parent notes may be hand-delivered to the student’s house secretary, turned in to the front office, or emailed to the student’s house secretary. 

House Secretaries by Alpha:

Campus Attendance Clerk: Ms. Yecenia Romero [email protected] (Suite F118F; In the Library; Se habla español) – 469-302-3280

Last Names A-Car: Mrs. Rosa Mena Hernandez [email protected] (Suite C227; upstairs at end of C Hall; Se habla español) – 469-302-5753

Last Names Cas-Fl: Ms. Jeanie Plaster [email protected] (Suite F203; upstairs in the main hallway) – 469-302-5800

Last Names Fo-I: Ms. Rebecca King [email protected] (Suite F201; upstairs in the main hallway) – 469-302-5881

Last Names J-Mc: Mrs. Debra Arzola James [email protected] (Suite C227; upstairs at the end of C Hall; Se habla español) – 469-302-5877

Last Names Me-Po: Ms. Shana Almizori [email protected]t (Suite C101; downstairs by the Library) – 469-302-3200

Last Names Pr-So: Ms. Nilza Rocha [email protected](Suite F203; upstairs in the main hallway; Se habla español) – 469-302-5708

Last Names Sp-Z: Ms. Patti Parker [email protected]t (Suite C101; downstairs by the Library) – 469-302-5829

How much time do I have to send a Parent Note?  ¿Cuánto tiempo tengo para enviar una Nota para Padres?

A parent note must be turned in within three (3) days of the student’s absence. MHS will not accept a parent note outside of the 3-day period. If you are waiting for a doctor to provide a note excusing an absence, please send a parent note as a placeholder. Once we receive the doctor’s note, we will change the coding from ‘Parent Note’ to ‘Doctor Note’. 

How many Parent Notes will MHS accept?  ¿Cuántas notas para padres aceptará MHS?

The Texas Education Code states that a student may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90% of the days of enrollment.

In order to guide parents and students through this law, our policy is to not code more than eight (8) days or parts of days as “Parent Note” each semester.

El Código de Educación de Texas establece que a un estudiante no se le puede dar crédito o una calificación final por una clase a menos que el estudiante asista al menos el 90% de los días de inscripción.

Para guiar a los padres y estudiantes a través de esta ley, nuestra política es no codificar más de ocho (8) días o partes de días como “Nota de los padres” cada semestre.

Excused Absences:Reasons include:

• Returns to school with a medical note (within 3 days) for the days absent from school.
• Documented death in the family and provides documentation upon return to school.
• Observing religious holy days, including traveling for that purpose.
• Visiting with a parent, stepparent, or legal 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 of at least four months outside the locality where the parent, stepparent, or guardian regularly resides.
• Attending a required court appearance and provides documentation upon return to school.
• Is in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services and attending court for ordered reason.
• Taking part in the student’s own US naturalization oath ceremony.

Unexcused Absences:

Please note that unexcused absences are noted on your child’s attendance record as “absent.” Reasons may include:

• Vacations & trips
• Illness without medical documentation or parent note not submitted within 3 days of the student’s return to school

Should the student develop a questionable pattern of absences, the principal or attendance committee may require a statement from a doctor or health clinic verifying the illness or condition that caused the student’s absence from school, and prohibit parent notes for future absences.

Doctor’s Note after an Absence for Illness

Upon return to school, a student absent for more than 5 consecutive days because of a personal illness must bring a statement from a doctor or health clinic verifying the illness or condition that caused the student’s extended absence from school. [See FEC (LOCAL).]

Credit Recovery

Compulsory attendance applies to students who are at least six years old as of September 1 of the applicable school year. The law requires a student to attend public school through the student’s 19th birthday, unless the student is exempt under §25.086. A student is in violation if the student has:

Students who do not attend at least 90% of the class sessions, whether excused or unexcused, will be denied credit for that specific course. The attendance office will mailed home warning letters and students will be given warning letters, who are in danger of losing credit. Students who have lost credit due to excessive absences in a course will have a letter mailed home and be given one in person by the house office of that student. A credit recovery plan will be put into action by the house principal of the student. In addition, courses for which credit has been lost due to excessive absences and not made up in the credit recovery plan will be indicated with an asterisk (*) on the student’s report card.

75-89% attendance: The student must earn credit for the class by completing a Credit Recovery Plan.

Under 75% attendance: The student must go through the Attendance Review Committee.

Credit Recovery Plan

Students will be required to make up hours in the same subject area they are credit deficient in. For example- if a student is credit deficient in their English 3 course they must make up time in tutoring with an English 3 teacher. Tutoring times are listed outside each classroom, on our school website, and in most teacher’s Canvas courses. For more help with tutoring times please contact your teacher.

• Credit Recovery Form- link coming soon.
• Credit Recovery Hours Sheet- link coming soon.
• Attendance Review Committee Form- link coming soon.