Attendance

Annual Notification-Compulsory Attendance Letter

According to Senate Bill No. 1432 all districts at the beginning of each school year are required to notify parents/guardians about the Compulsory Attendance Law.  This letter is to comply with that requirement, and is intended to inform parents/guardians in advance about the legal action that the Elkhart Independent School District is required to take to enforce this law and the penalties that can result.

For your information, truancy may result in assessment of penalties by a court of law against both the student and the student's parent/guardian.  A complaint against a parent/guardian for contributing to truancy may be filed in the appropriate court if the student is:

* Absent from school three (3) or more days, or parts of days, within a four week period in the same school year, or

* Absent from school ten (10) or more days, or parts of days, within a six month period in the same school year.

A complaint may be filed against the student for failing to attend school for the same time periods, or a referral may be made to the juvenile court.  Parents/Guardians who commit the offense of thwarting the Compulsory Attendance Law can be ordered to pay fines and court costs.

For more detailed information, your attention is directed to Sections 25.085, 25.093, 25.094, and 20.095 of the Texas Education Code.  A copy of those provisions of the law is available for your review at the District's main administration office.

It is our hope that by working together, we can avoid any truancy problems, and any necessity for using any of the laws mentioned above.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this letter, and for all the help we know you will provide in ensuring your child's attendance this school year.

Sincerely,

Brandi McEnturff

Elkhart High School

Assistant Principal