Following Dallas ISD’s celebration of September Attendance Awareness Month, the Graduation, Recovery, Attendance/Advocacy and Dropout Intervention (GRA²D) department will begin sending school messenger notifications to parents/guardians if their student has missed excessive days of instruction since the start of the school year.
The Attendance for Credit program, known as “the 90 Percent Rule,” helps ensure all students are in attendance at least 90 percent of the time a class is offered and that students recover some of the instructional content lost when they have been absent. It is required for all campuses and is available for parents/guardians who may be unaware that absences, even excused ones, must be accounted for to avoid denial of a final grade at elementary and middle school or denial of credit at high school.
If parents/guardians receive a warning, violation or reminder letter, information will be provided on how to contact the campus’s Attendance for Credit committee to discuss ways for students to improve attendance and remain on track with instruction. All Dallas ISD campuses have an Attendance for Credit committee that walks students and parents through the “Principal’s Plan,” which is the official process of restoring missed instructional time.
Dallas ISD’s Attendance for Credit program is based upon Texas Education Code 25.092, which states in part, “…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.” The Dallas ISD Board of Trustees policy also provides guidance for the program in policy FEC.
For more information about Attendance for Credit, visit dallasisd.org/afc. Attendance for Credit letters with information for parents of students who have already incurred excessive absences are available for download using this link.
Absences that count toward the “90 Percent Rule”:
- E – Excused Absence
- Exemptions include medical-based excused absences with valid documentation.
- U – Unexcused Absence
- Truancy: non-school activities and vacations
- O – Out-of-School Suspension
