Does Texas have a compulsory attendance law?

Because attendance is so critical for the quality of your child's education, Texas has a Compulsory Attendance Law. State law requires schoolchildren to attend school each day that instruction is provided.

What is the compulsory attendance law in Texas?

A child who is under 18 years of age is required to attend public school. There are several exemptions from this requirement. A primary exemption is for students who are enrolled in a private or parochial school, including a home school.

How many days of school can you miss in TX?

So, your child can only miss 18 days of school or 18 days of a specific class (or 9 days if they're on a semester schedule) before the 90% rule affects their class credit. For elementary school students, this means they could repeat a grade if they are in school less than 90% of school days.

How many absences can you have before you go to court in Texas?

(a) If a student fails to attend school without excuse on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year, a school district shall within 10 school days of the student's 10th absencerefer the student to a truancy court for truant conduct under Section 65.003(a), Family Code.

Is it illegal to not go to school in Texas?

Unless exempted from attendance by Texas Education Code Section 25.086, a child who is at least six years old and under 19 years of age is required to attend school.

Texas lawmaker calls for an end to attendance-based school funding | KVUE

Can a parent go to jail for truancy in Texas?

Penalties for Parents of Truant Students

If parents disobey those orders, they could be charged with contempt and face fines, up to three days in jail, and/or community service. Parents could also face misdemeanor charges if they were criminally negligent by not forcing their kids to go to school. (Tex. Educ.

Is truancy illegal in Texas?

Any unexcused absence from school by a student is considered truancy. What are the laws regarding school attendance in the state of Texas? Children are required to attend school regularly from ages 6-18 in the State of Texas. Parents can receive a citation for Contributing to Non-attendance.

What is the 90% attendance rule in Texas?

In addition to Texas compulsory attendance laws, districts are required to enforce the 90% rule which states that students in grades Kindergarten through 12^th must attend a class for 90% of the time it is offered to receive credit or a final grade. This rule applies even if your child has an IEP or 504 Plan.

What happens the first time you go to court for truancy in Texas?

1. Warning: The student and parents or guardians may receive a formal warning from the judge about the importance of school attendance. 2. Counseling or Services: The court may require the student and their family to attend counseling sessions, workshops, or other programs aimed at addressing the reasons for truancy.

What is considered an unexcused absence in Texas?

The specific reasoning for the absence is needed to appropriately code the absence according to guidelines established in the Texas Education Code. If no documentation is provided, the absence is considered unexcused.

What happens if your child misses too much school in Texas?

State Law Regarding Truancy

If a student is absent from school without an acceptable excuse (listed above) for 10 or more days, or parts of days, within a 6 month period, the parent may be subject to prosecution and the student may be referred to truancy court.

What happens if you miss 10 days of school in Texas?

Generally, a school district must refer a student to a truancy court for truant conduct “within 10 school days of the student's 10^th absence.” Education Code, Section 25.0951(a).

What happens if a child misses too many days of school in Texas?

After too many unexcused absences, the school must notify the parent. A compulsory attendance notification will be sent to the parent if a student has unexcused absences on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period or three days or parts of days without an excuse during a four-week period.

What is Texas children's Attendance policy?

Texas law requires your child's school or open-enrollment charter school to implement truancy prevention measures if your kid misses three or more days during a four-week period. If your child accumulates 10 or more unexcused absences during a 6-month period, then you should receive a truancy referral.

When was Texas compulsory attendance law passed?

1915 The state enacted a compulsory school attendance law. Texas was one of five states that did not have a compulsory attendance law enacted prior to 1915. Students were required to attend school for 60 days in 1916- 1917, 80 days in 1917-1918, and 100 days from 1918-1919.

What is the compulsory attendance law section 25.085 in Texas?

Texas Education Code 25.085 (Compulsory School Attendance) states that a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached the child's 19th birthday shall attend school.

When did truancy laws change in Texas?

In fiscal year 2015, the Texas Legislature passed legislation that decriminalized truancy by repealing the criminal offense for failure to attend school.

What is the age limit for truancy in Texas?

Under §65.003, Texas Family Code, truant conduct is conduct committed by a student who is 12 years of age or older and younger than 19 years of age. A district may refer a student alleged to have engaged in truant conduct to a court designated as a truancy court under §65.004, Texas Family Code.

What is a truancy warning letter in Texas?

If you receive a letter from your student's school is it because he/she has three or more unexcused absences in a four week period of time. This letter is a reminder of Texas State Law and a warning that truancy charges will be filed once ten unexcused absences are attained.

How much money does a school lose when a student is absent in Texas?

If a student missed, for instance, nine days over the school year, the district would lose about $300. That can add up. According to Texas Education Agency records, Dallas ISD's projected average daily attendance for 2023 is 133,983, but its projected total student count is about 136,821.406, a difference of 2,838.

Do schools get paid for attendance in Texas?

In Texas, the state gives money to schools based on their students' average daily attendance rate. If a student misses school, their district's attendance average goes down, and so does the amount of money it receives.

What is Section 25.092 of the Texas Education Code?

Section 25.092 - Minimum Attendance for Class Credit or Final Grade (a) Except as provided by this section, a student in any grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 may not be given credit or a final grade for a class unless the student is in attendance for at least 90 percent of the days the class is offered.

Can you be truant at 18 in Texas?

Under §25.085(e), a person who voluntarily enrolls in or attends school after the person's 18th birthday is required to attend each school day for the entire period the program of instruction for which the student is enrolled is offered.

What is parent contributing to nonattendance in Texas?

Section 25.093 - [Effective 1/1/2025] Parent Contributing to Nonattendance (a) If a warning is issued as required by Section 25.095(a), the parent with criminal negligence fails to require the child to attend school as required by law, and the child has absences for the amount of time specified under Section 65.003(a), ...

Can a 16 year old dropout of school in Texas?

In general, Texas law requires students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 19. However, students who are at least 17 can drop out legally if they're attending a course to prepare for the high school equivalency exam and meet one of the other requirements: they have their parents' permission.