School Hours
8:10 am to 3:35 pm
7:45 – Students may enter the building through the front doors & report to cafeteria
8:05 - Students are invited into the classrooms
8:10 – Bell rings to signal start of instruction. After this bell, students must report to office for pass to class.
Attendance
Please call 682-867-8400 to report an absence by 10:00 am
Regular and timely school attendance is critical for students to be successful. As a matter of fact, studies show that regular attendance is the single most important factor in student success. Plus, we love seeing your child every day! Taking responsibility for being at school on time and for the full day is a life skill that we teach our students. We appreciate your partnership in helping children learn habits that will help them be successful at school and throughout life. Texas Education Code states that children must be present for no less than 90% of the days school is in attendance.
Miller Elementary enforces the following state & district policies:
- Nine or more absences per semester exceeds the 90% attendance requirement. If a student fails to attend 90% of the days, promotion to the next grade level may be in jeopardy.
- If a parent/guardian fails to send a child to school as required by law, a warning will be issued by the school and/or attendance officer.
- Student history of absences and tardies will be considered when deciding on the renewal or non-renewal of student transfers.
For the safety of your child, please notify the front office by 10:00 AM each day your child will be absent from school. Failure to notify the office will result in an absence being coded as “unexcused”. AISD policy allows 24 hours to provide an excuse for an absence. If you are unable to call, please send a note explaining the reason for your child’s absence the day your child returns to school. A doctor’s note is needed after the third consecutive day of illness. A doctor’s note may also be required to excuse an absence for students who have a history of excessive absences.
Please refer to the AISD Student Code of Conduct for the full list of reasons that constitute excused absences. AISD policy considers the following as some of the reasons for excused absences:
- Legitimate days of illness
- Death in the immediate family
- Medical appointments *
*If the child attends school the same day as a doctor’s appointment with the proper documentation, he/she will be counted PRESENT for the day.
Please note that vacation and/or business trips are not considered excused absences. Please try to schedule these events outside of days school is in session whenever possible.
Absences can affect a student’s progress, promotion/retention status, and recognition for perfect attendance awards.
Attendance Violations
Notices of attendance violations are sent via the U.S. mail. If you should receive an attendance violation letter in error, it is important to call the school to discuss the matter. Do not wait until your child’s promotion to the next grade is in serious jeopardy to discuss attendance with the school.
In accordance with district policy, if a child is absent excessively, the parent may be required to produce a doctor’s note each time the child is absent in order for the absence to be excused. In addition, the parent may be reported to one of the district’s truancy officers according to AISD policy.
Refer to the AISD Student Code of Conduct for additional information regarding the attendance policy.
Tardy Policy
Students arriving to class after 8:10 am are considered tardy. There is no option to code a student arriving after 8:10 am as “excused” for attendance purposes, other than with a doctor’s note. Arriving to school on-time is a positive life skill which we encourage. When students are late they miss morning work, preparation for the day, and entering late to class presents a disruption to the learning environment. According to the AISD Student Code of Conduct, a student can be subject to disciplinary consequences for excessive tardies.
We understand that sometimes students are delayed in arriving to school on time, through no fault of their own. The following policy allows for these unavoidable instances with no consequence, while still encouraging prompt arrival to school.
For each SEMESTER, the following tardy policy applies:
Miller school schedule and tardy procedures
- 7:45 – Students may enter the building through the front doors & report to cafeteria
- 8:05 - Students are invited into the classrooms
- 8:10 – Bell rings to signal start of instruction. After this bell, students must report to office for pass to class.
Consequences for tardiness (within each semester)
- Each tardy - Tardy pass
- 5th tardy - Notice of 5th Tardy note sent home.
- 10th tardy - Notice of 10th Tardy note sent home; parent contacted by school administrator.
- 10+ tardies - Parent meeting with an administrator.
Tardies can affect a student’s progress, promotion/retention status, and recognition for perfect attendance awards.
Make-up work after absence
Make-up work may be sent home after a student has been absent from school at least two days. If the child is absent only one day, he/she will receive the work when he/she returns to school the next day. If a child is absent more than one day, the parent may request the homework on the second day of absence. Please call by 10:00 am to request make-up work.
Students will be given one school day to return completed work for each school day the student is absent due to an excused absence. In the case of extended illness, the teacher will work with the student to determine a reasonable time to have all make-up work completed. In accordance with AISD School Board policy, when a student is absent with an unexcused absence, the student may receive a zero for each grade taken while he/she was absent. This includes grades taken in the afternoon when the student leaves early for a reason that does not meet the criteria of “excused” absence.
If you are planning to take your child out of school and are requesting make-up work in advance, please be sure to contact the school office first. Requests for make-up work in advance should be put in writing with the reason for the absence.
If you have questions or concerns, please call the school and speak with the teacher or administrator. As always, if you have a special situation or extenuating circumstances that should be considered in regards to make-up work for your child, please let us know.
Leaving Campus during the school day
Students leaving during school hours must be signed out in the office. To maximize instructional time in class, office staff will call your child to the office upon your arrival to the office. For their safety, children will be dismissed only through the office to the responsible party. Please be aware that for security reasons, a child may only be checked out or picked up at dismissal by individuals who are listed in TEAMS as emergency contacts.
If a child is checked out for a medical appointment, a doctor’s note should be presented to the office when the child returns to school. If the child returns the same day with a signed doctor’s note, he/she will be counted PRESENT for the day. If the student has a doctor’s appointment before arriving at school, he/she will be counted PRESENT for the entire day when the student brings in documentation from the doctor's office.
If a student needs to be excused from PE, music, or recess, please have the doctor write out restrictions or limitations. The classroom teacher will see that the appropriate people get a copy of the instructions.
We discourage checking out a child for reasons other than doctor’s appointments or emergencies. A pattern of checking out a child early may prompt a call from an administrator due to the academic consequences of missed instruction.