Marcus 9th Grade Center
Lewisville Independent School District
Attendance
What Should I Do If My Child Is Absent?
Communication with the school each time your child is absent is essential. If an absence is not reported and documented appropriately, it may be recorded as unexcused, which can impact grades and lead to truancy.
Report an Absence Through Family Access
Parents and guardians should submit all absence requests through Skyward Qmlativ Family Access to:
- Submit absence requests directly to your child's attendance record.
- Upload supporting documentation (parent notes or medical notes).
- Track the status of pending and processed requests.
- Update existing requests with additional documentation at any time.
Absence Limits & Notes
- Parent Notes: Up to 5 parent-note absences allowed per school year for any reason.
- Healthcare Notes: Absences verified by a provider's note and submitted within 3 school days are excused and do not count toward parent-note or pre-planned limits.
- Partial Days: If a student attends part of the day but misses time for a medical appointment, proper notes prevent it from counting as an official absence.
Pre-Planned Absences
Students may have up to 5 pre-planned absences for family trips or outside activities.
- Submit request at least 1 week before the first absence date.
- Complete and attach the Pre-Planned Absence Form in Family Access.
- Requests submitted >30 days in advance remain pending until inside the 30-day review window.
Attendance for Credit & Texas Law Requirements
90% Rule for Credit: Under Texas law, students must attend class at least 90% of the time offered. Falling below this threshold—regardless of reason—results in loss of course credit. To restore credit, a plan must be set by the campus principal or Attendance Committee.
Attendance Committee Members:
Campus Administrator, Teachers (majority), Counselors, Nurse, and Special Education Teacher.
Truancy Warning: More than 3 unexcused absences in a 4-week period or 10 in a 6-month period (including late arrivals and early pick-ups) may result in court referral or legal charges filed against parents. For details on legally excused events (religious holidays, driver's license, college visits), consult the LISD Student Handbook.
Have Questions?
If you need help reporting an absence, contact your child's campus Attendance Clerk.
MHS9 Attendance Procedures
Please refer to the Attendance Section of the online Student Handbook for complete rules and guidelines. The Student Handbook can be found by visiting Marcus 9 website, mhs9.lisd.net, under the “Resources”, "For Parents & Students".
Absences
If your child is absent from school, a parent should call the morning of the absence. A parent must follow up by sending a signed note no later than the third day after the absence to get it excused. Unexcused absences will result in a “zero” for that day in each missed class. Faxed parent notes may be accepted to excuse an absence.
The district will excuse up to 10 full or partial days during the school year. Each unexcused absence will reduce the number of absences that may be excused by parent notes. Any additional absences beyond the allowable parent notes will require a note from a health care provider or documentation of an absence exempt from compulsory attendance, in
order to be excused.
Please note that more than 5 absences in a 9 week period, excused or unexcused, may result in loss of credit.
If the student visited a medical professional (doctor/dentist, etc.) while out, the doctor’s note should be provided to the clerk upon their return or within 3 days of the absence at the latest. By presenting this medical note, it may help keep a student from loss of credit for too many absences. All-day medical absences DO NOT automatically exempt a student from loss of credit; a partial-day absence—with a medical note—will not count towards loss of credit.
PLEASE NOTE: Students arriving more than 20 minutes after class has started are considered absent and must have a
medical or parent note to excuse. If a note is not received within 3 days, the absence will be unexcused.
Homework Requests
Most assignments can be found on the teacher’s Canvas sites, which are located under the staff directory on our website. Instructions are given out the first day of class in most cases. You are welcome to email the teachers directly for the quickest response time. All email addresses are listed on the MHS 9 website.
Late Arrival/Early Release
Any time a student comes in late or leaves early, they MUST sign-in/out with the attendance clerk. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action. Students are NOT ALLOWED TO USE THEIR CELL PHONES TO CONTACT A PARENT IF THEY ARE ILL. STUDENTS MUST GO THROUGH THE NURSE IF THEY BECOME ILL AT SCHOOL. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action.
Appointments/Parent Note
When your child has an appointment, send a parent note that morning. Upon receiving the parent note, a pass will be issued to the student for leaving at the designated time meeting you in front of the school or driving to the appointment. If you did not send a note with your child, come into the Front Office to sign them out. Allow plenty of time before your appointment to give us time to get the student out of class. Calls will be accepted for appointments made the same day. It is extremely difficult to get students once they have gone to an athletic class that may be at another location off-campus. PLANNING AHEAD IS CRUCIAL TO HELP YOU MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT ON TIME!
Parent/Guardian Sign Out Form
ACCORDING TO STATE LAW, WE ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A NOTE ON FILE SIGNED BY A PARENT/GUARDIAN WHENEVER A STUDENT LEAVES THE CAMPUS FOR ANY REASON. THE REASON MUST MEET STATE GUIDELINES FOR IT TO BE EXCUSED. Email or call the front office for form
Verification of Enrollment (V.O.E. Form)
The student should email the attendance clerk to receive a VOE. Attendance clerk researches student’s attendance (must be in compliance with the 90% T.E.A. guidelines). Student picks up the form after school from attendance clerk – student must sign the form in front of the attendance clerk.