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Attendance

Attendance Overview for Parents

Attendance records at the middle school level serve two main purposes:
·         To inform the allocation of funds from the State of Texas
·         To track the student’s attendance for course credit
 
State Funding
School districts in Texas receive state funding based, in part, on Average Daily Attendance (ADA) numbers. ADA is based on attendance as of 10:00AM each day for all Carroll ISD campuses.  Here at Carroll, the 10:00am mark usually falls during 2nd period.  If a student leaves school prior to 10:00am or arrives after 10:00am, they will not be counted present for state funding purposes, unless they have a medical appointment and provide a doctor’s note.
 
Attendance Tracking for Course Credit
While the 10:00am funding time is important, attendance is taken daily in all eight (8) class periods at Carroll Middle School (CMS) in order to determine the student’s eligibility for credit in each of their courses.  This is a change from elementary/intermediate school.
·         Per The Texas Education Agency, a student MUST be in attendance for 90% of the days that a course meets in order to receive credit for the course. 
·         Accordingly, a CMS student is allowed NINE (9) ABSENCES per semester in each course. If a student has more than the allowed nine absences in any given course, he or she must make up the missed time or they may be denied credit for that course.
·         You can track the number of absences per course through Skyward.  In addition, when your student reaches seven absences in a semester during one or more periods, we will send you a warning letter to advise you that they are getting close to exceeding the limit.
·         Absences that are not included in calculating the absence count include:
o    Absences due to doctor visits (documentation required from healthcare professional)
o    Religious Holy Days (parent note or email required)
o    Funerals (parent note or email required)
o    Appearances in court or legal proceedings (court documentation required)
We strongly recommend providing the school with doctors’ notes as absences occur
 

Student Absent from School

Each day their student will not be at school, a parent/guardian must either
1.   Call the attendance office (817-949-5401),OR
2.   Email cmsattendance@southlakecarroll.edu

  • Unlike lower grade levels, there is no web link for reporting absences.
  • You may email teachers regarding the absence if there is something class-specific that you would like to address, but you will still need to notify the Attendance Office directly.
  • If there is no parent notification regarding the absence, we will send an automated phone call and/or email later in the day to confirm the absence.

Student Arriving Late to School

·         Classes begin promptly at 8:25am. 
·         Students arriving after 8:25am but before 8:45am may sign themselves in (without a parent present) at the Attendance Office.
·         Students arriving/returning to school after 8:45am must be signed in through the Attendance Office by a parent/guardian.
o    If the student is arriving/returning from a medical appointment and has a doctor’s note, they may sign themselves into school (without a parent), even after 8:45am.

Student Leaving During the School Day

Students are not allowed to leave the building during the school day unless they are signed out at the Attendance Office by an authorized person.
  • For the safety and protection of the student, the person signing the student out will be required to show picture identification and must be on the student’s Emergency Contact List.
  • Please be aware that when you are picking up your student for an appointment, we do not usually call into the classroom.  A student runner is sent with a message for your student to come to the attendance office.  Please allow for the extra time this will take.
  • Students who become ill during the school day should report to the school nurse with the teacher’s permission. The nurse will decide if the student should be sent home and will notify the student’s parent.  All students leaving school due to illness should be checked out through the Nurse’s office.

 Instructions to add someone to the Emergency Contact List

On a desktop computer or laptop, log in to Family Access 

  • Note: it does not work on the Skyward App
    •  Go into Student Info located on the left menu.
    •  On the right hand side, there is a tab called ‘Request Changes for (child’s name)’
    • Then from the drop down menu choose ‘Add Emergency Contact’
    • Here you can add anyone that you want to authorize to pick up your child.

 Deliveries to Students

There is a drop-off table in the foyer where school-related items may be dropped off for students.  To keep interruptions to a minimum during classroom instruction time, students may check the drop-off table between classes for their items. 
***Parents are allowed to drop-off food ONLY for their own child.  Please do not bring food for your student to share with others.

 Homework During Absences

  • Students will have the same number of days that they are absent to make up their school work; e.g., if they are absent three days, they will have three days to make up their work.
  •  Homework assignments should be available to students online, so you shouldn’t need to pick up homework through the front office during an absence.
  • Students are encouraged to check CANVAS and their teachers’ websites for missed homework assignments.  If they have trouble accessing their assignments, they may email the relevant teacher for help.