Attendance
If absent, students must bring a note from a parent/guardian to the Attendance Office (Main Office) explaining the absence.  Students should NOT give the note to a teacher, dean, coach, bus driver, friend or anyone else.  Upon returning to school, students have 3 days to turn in the note to the Attendance Office.

The note needs to include:

• the student’s first and last name, grade, and ID number
• date(s) of absence and reason for absence
• a parent/guardian signature and date of signature
• phone number for verification

Once a student returns to school, he/she will be allowed one day per each day of absence to make up work.

EXCUSED ABSENCES

Absences are excused for personal illness, sickness or death in the family, quarantine, weather or road conditional making travel dangerous as publicized by HISD, participation in school activities with permission of the principal, juvenile court proceeding documented by a probation officer, pre-approved visit to another HISD school, HISD recognized religious hold days, and doctor or therapy appointments (a doctor’s note is required).  Any personal illness absence that lasts 3 or more days requires a doctor’s note to be considered excused. 

All other absences are unexcused.

COMMON UNEXCUSED ABSENCES

Car trouble, oversleeping, traffic, Metro bus issues, being out of town (vacations), and trips not sponsored by HISD/Pershing are all examples of unexcused absences.

TARDY POLICY

Students who arrive late to school need to stop by the Attendance Office for a tardy pass.  If tardy, students will not be allowed to bring in outside food or drinks; these will need to be discarded before entering a classroom. 

Students who arrive in class after the bell rings, but within the first 15 minutes, are tardy.  Students will sign their name to the tardy log in the classroom and teachers will mark them tardy in the system.  Students who are 15 or more minutes late to class are recorded as absent. 

CONSEQUENCES FOR TARDIES

• 3-6 tardies = 1 detention (during lunch or after school)
• 7-11 tardies = 2 detentions (during lunch or after school)
• 12 or more tardies = ISS, Behavior Contract, and referral for truancy.

NOTE:  Students will receive written warning at intervals that do not result in a consequence.  Failure to attend detention or ISS is considered a Level 3 Offense, specifically “failure to comply with a reasonable request.”

OTHER LATE ARRIVALS

When HISD buses arrive late to Pershing, students should go to the Attendance Office to obtain an excused tardy pass to class.  Students arriving late on Metro buses or via car should go to the Attendance Office to obtain an unexcused tardy pass to class. 

Students arrive late from a doctor’s/dentist’s appointment must submit a medical note to the Attendance Office upon arrival to receive an excused pass to class.  If the student doesn’t have a note, they will receive an unexcused tardy pass to class.

LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY

Students with an appointment must have their parent/guardian come to the Attendance Office to sign them out.  Please allow enough time for the Attendance Office staff member to get the student out of class.  We DO NOT release students without a parent/guardian signing them out with the Attendance Office.