ATTENDANCE OFFICES

LAST NAME	ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL	ATTENDANCE CLERK	COUNSELOR
A-CHH	Steve Smith 682-867-8630	Avet Boahene 682-867-8630	A-BRIN Alma Flores-Cook 682-867-8624
CHI-GOM	John Espinosa 682-867-8614	Maryann Jacobs 682-867-8614	BRIO-DEA Amy Benson 682-867-8776
GON-LAL	Tunya Redvine 682-867-8615	Nina Fink 682-867-8615	DEB-GOM Jana Lewis 682-867-8730
LAM-NOX	Oluchi Igbokwe 682-867-8819	Nicole Love-Young 682-867-8819	GON-JEF Suzanne Bandy 682-867-8850
NOY-RUR	Luann Kennedy 682-867-8629	Holly Ragsdill 682-867-8629	JEG-MART Lani Gordon 682-867-8626
RUS-WEA	Dr. Greg Cartwright 682-867-8633	Aileen Bennett 682-867-8633	MARU-OS Karen Peters 682-867-8627
WEB-Z & AVID	Amanda Cobb 682-867-8620	Lisa Martin 682-867-8620	OT-ROS Jarita Galbreath 682-867-8607
STEM	Robin Griffith-Yates 682-867-8631	Kristin Pugh 682-867-8631	ROT-TD Susan Kingen 682-867-8628
			TEA-Z Jai Davis 682-867-8623
			AVID Edwina Thompson 682-867-8625
			A-L STEM Sara Stringer 682-867-8610
			M-Z STEM Stephanie Vreeland 682-867-8806
Dean of Instruction	Kelly McCollough 682-897-8877
Registrar	Jocelyn Johnson 682-867-8622	Support Councilor	Tamika White 682-867-8878
Testing Coordinator	Cheryl Wright 682-867-8661	Licensed Specialist in School Psychology	Jason Johnson 682-867-8035
Diagnosticians	A – G Annika Standlee 682-867-8898	H-L Cyndi Barker 682-867-8643	M-Z Julia Chappell 682-867-8860

NOTE: All offices are closed from 12:22-1:13 PM during lunch.

The Texas Education Code 25.085 (a) states… “Students must now be in attendance a minimum of 90% of the days a class is offered.” AISD policy additionally defines attendance requirements for block schedules, stating five absences or more in one semester exceeds the 90% attendance requirement.

Students who accrue five (or more) absences in a class in one semester will not receive credit for each class missed (a group of three tardies counts as one unexcused absence.) Furthermore, students with excessive absences will be required to attend in each class and assume responsibility for all assignments.

Students with excessive absences and/or tardies may not receive the Verification of Enrollment and Attendance (VOE) form. This form is required by the Department of Public Safety to receive a driver’s license. VOE forms may be requested from the front office and may be picked up 24 hours after the request.

Concern for a student’s attendance is a serious concern at James Martin High School since excessive absences often result in poor schoolwork.

It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to call the school each day of an absence by 10:00 a.m. to explain the absence of the student. The purpose in notifying the school is to ensure that both school and the family are aware that we can account for each student. All absences not cleared within twenty-four hours are unexcused. Written documentation is required for college days and medical appointments.

Students who arrive late to school during first or fifth period must sign-in with an Assistant Principal in the library lobby. Students arriving after 7:50 a.m. should report to their attendance office. Any student who is tardy during the school day should also report to his/her attendance office.

Excused absences (in accordance with State Attendance Laws):

1. Serious illness
2. Death in the immediate family
3. Medical/dental appointments . . . properly validated
4. Authorized religious holidays

Some examples of unexcused absences:

1. Truancy
2. Missing the school bus or ride
3. Shopping
4. Hunting, fishing, ski trips, and comparable activities
5. Attendance at games elsewhere or on another campus
6. Birthday or other celebrations
7. Gainful employment
8. Working on car (or car-related problems)
9. Student-organized “skip day”
10. Paying or defending traffic tickets
11. Oversleeping

You will also be unexcused if:

1. you leave school without signing out in the proper attendance office.
2. you leave class without the teacher’s permission.
3. you are absent from class without permission (skipping).
4. you obtain a pass to go to a certain place but do not report there.
5. you become ill and go home or stay in the building but fail to report to the office.
6. you have permission to go home for lunch, become ill and remain at home without having a parent notify the attendance office before 2:00 pm.
7. you come to school but do not attend class.

Credit for make-up work can be given for excused absences only. Students will receive a zero for each grade taken during unexcused absences.

An unexcused absence/tardy is subject to disciplinary action. It is extremely important that students and parents realize the decision of determining excused and unexcused absence/tardies rests solely in the hands of the campus administration. Any absence or tardy, regardless of the number, will be considered and dealt with on its own merit.

STUDENTS WHO ACCUMULATE MORE THAN FIVE (5) ABSENCES MAY BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A DOCTOR’S STATEMENT ON FUTURE ABSENCES AND MAY BE REQUIRED TO MAKE UP THE TIME MISSED. CONSECUTIVE ABSENCES OF THREE OR MORE DAYS WILL REQUIRE A DOCTOR’S STATEMENT. A FRAUDULENT OR ALTERED DOCTOR’S STATEMENT WILL RESULT IN AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR TRUANCY. IF THERE IS EVER A QUESTION ABOUT AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE, PLEASE CHECK WITH THE SCHOOL PRIOR TO THE ABSENCE, NOT AFTER YOU RETURN. PROCESS FOR CLEARING ABSENCES

1. The parent or guardian should call the Attendance Office by 10:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Calls will be received and processed each day until 2:30 p.m. Notes from home will not be accepted to excuse absences.
2. Absences not cleared within twenty-four hours will be unexcused. It is the student’s responsibility to secure an admit showing that the absence has been cleared.

PROLONGED ABSENCES AND MAKE-UP WORK

Parents may request make-up work for a student while he/she is at home with an extended excused absence (typically an absence of 3 or more days). Prior to the request, the parent should determine if the nature of the illness enables the student to complete his/her assignments at home.

Parents of secondary students should call their student’s attendance office by 9:00 a.m. and may expect the assignments to be available between 2:45 and 3:30 p.m. the following day. Parents who fail to pick up the requested assignments may be denied this courtesy by the building principal or designee.

Students should complete a reasonable number of the assignments by their return to school and fully complete all make-up work within the designated time allotted. Parents and students should know that if a reasonable amount of work sent home is not completed, this courtesy may be denied by the building principal or designee.

Students who have work assigned to them on a scheduled basis, such as term papers, projects, etc., should have the work ready on the due date even with an excused absence. An academic penalty, the deduction of points, may be imposed for work not submitted on the due date.

If an illness or accident is such that the student will miss three weeks or more of school, the parent or guardian should contact the counselor in order to secure homebound services.

COLLEGE DAYS

The AISD School Board has granted two college visitation days to juniors and seniors.
 To schedule these days, parents should contact the appropriate attendance office at least two days in advance.
 The student must pick up a visitation letter in the attendance office, show it to the teacher of each class missed, and have it signed by a college official at the campus visited.
 Absences will remain unexcused until the letter is returned to the attendance office.
 Some restrictions do apply to college days: no days are permitted prior to prom and exam days, and it is recommended that students not take college days before a holiday.
 College day visits will consist of one A-day and one B-day.

ABSENCES ON TEST DAYS (SIX WEEKS AND SEMESTER)

With the exception of serious illness or emergency, an excused absence will not be given to a student who misses a six weeks test or semester exam. If there is any doubt about an absence being excused, the student or parent should check with the Attendance Office prior to the absence.

RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

An excused absence may be granted to a student when such absence is required for the exercise of the student’s religious beliefs. Such absences shall require advanced notice from the parent.

TARDIES

Students are required to be on time for all classes.
 Each set of three unexcused tardies in the same class per six weeks will constitute an unexcused absence.
 This absence will count toward the five absences that result in loss of credit or make-up time contracts for a specific class period.
 Repeated tardiness may result in loss of credit or a make-up redemption contract.

LEAVING CAMPUS DURING SCHOOL HOURS

Passes to leave campus early may be obtained in each attendance office. They are to be used by students who report to school but must leave at a time other than regular dismissal hours. Reasons must be acceptable. Follow the outlined procedure to be eligible for a cleared absence.

1. Arrange to have a parent call the appropriate office at least three hours in advance of departure time.
2.

A. If departure is to be during a passing period, the student is to sign out in the office and receive a permit to leave the parking lot.

B. If departure time occurs during a class period, the student must

1. Carry to class the pass from the office.
2. Present the pass to the teacher, acquire a signature and return it to the office at the time of the departure in order to sign out.
3. Departures without clearance will be regarded as unexcused.
4. Failure to sign out at the proper office is judged as an unexcused absence.
5. A student that has a doctor’s appointment should return to school through the appropriate attendance office with a signed verification note from the doctor’s office.

LEAVING CAMPUS AFTER LAST CLASS

Students are expected to leave the campus after their last class unless they are taking part in tutorials or other school activities. This is particularly applicable to students in vocational work programs and seniors taking less than a full schedule of classes. Students that do not leave or return to campus without a specific instructional or extracurricular purpose are subject to losing early dismissal privileges. All students with a full schedule of classes must leave the school campus by 3:00pm.

UNAUTHORIZED VISITS TO OTHER SCHOOL CAMPUSES

Students are not to visit the campuses of other schools while their classes are in session or any other time during their regular school day except for school-approved business or school sponsored activities. Students who violate this policy may receive disciplinary corrective actions.