Absences / Tardies

• Full day absences must be reported for the current day via the absence reporting form under the Families Section on the Tompkins website, via email, or phone. If your student also attends Miller, please report the absence to them too.
• All students must check in/check out with the attendance office when arriving after 7:15 am or leaving before 2:35 pm (except those with late arrival/early dismissal). Students will receive an unexcused absence if they fail to do so with no exceptions. Even if the student arrives between class periods, they are required to sign in with the attendance office first.
• If a prior day absence was not reported, contact the appropriate attendance clerk via email or phone.
• All doctor and parent notes must be received by the attendance office within 5 days of the absence. Notes can be dropped off, emailed, or faxed to 281-644-1913 (10th-12th)/281-644-1920 (9th). After 5 days, notes will no longer be accepted.
• If a student leaves campus without permission, it will be an unexcused/truancy absence (NO EXCEPTIONS).

Attendance Errors

• Teachers are responsible for taking attendance for each class period. If you believe your student was marked absent in error, please contact the teacher first. If a correction is to be made, the teacher will notify the attendance office.
• Please allow 24-48 hours for corrections to be reflected in Home Access Center.

Checking a Student Out Early

• Only a parent/legal guardian may check out a student. You must show your ID to enter the building and complete the sign out process.
• Allow a minimum of 15 minutes to sign out a student to give enough time to pull the student from class and meet you in the office.
• It is recommended that all dismissals be done by 2:15 p.m. due to extra traffic around the school at the end of the day.
• In order to have someone else check out a student, the parent/legal guardian must first email the appropriate attendance clerk with the following information:
  • Copy of parent/legal guardian ID/DL
  • Name of person checking out student
  • Reason for dismissal
  • Expected check out time

Student Drivers Who Need to Leave Early

• If a student who drives to school needs to leave early, please email the appropriate attendance clerk or send a note with the student along with a copy of your ID/DL. We need at least 45-minute notice before the requested dismissal time. The student must still check out at the attendance office before leaving campus. This policy applies to 10th, 11th, and 12th graders (even if over 18 years old) only. 

Compulsory Attendance Letters (CAN Letter)

• A CAN letter will be mailed when your student has one or more of the following including full or partial days:
  • First letter - Student has three (3) or more unexcused absences in a four-week period.
  • Second letter - Student has six (6) or more unexcused absences in a six-month period.
• If you receive a CAN letter from the district, you are allowed five days to resolve with the attendance clerk. Unresolved CAN letters may result in a court warning notification and/or subpoena.

Failure to Attend School Letter

• A Failure to Attend letter will be mailed when your student has excessive absences due to personal illness (no doctor’s note) for one or more of the following including full or partial days:
  • Student has eight (8) personal illness absences in a six-month period.
  • Student has five (5) consecutive personal illness days.
• If you receive this letter, all future absences due to personal illness will require a note from a healthcare office in order to excuse the absence.