Texas law requires students to attend school on a regular basis. Regular attendance is essential to make progress in school. Students are excused for illness and for a prearranged doctor or dental appointments. Other requests for absences may be approved by special permission from the principal. A school staff member will contact parents if their children are excessively absent or tardy. Excessive tardiness is unacceptable and will be considered a form of truancy.

The administration, faculty, and staff of Good Tree Academy expect every student to be in attendance in every class, every school day. If a student is excessively absent, a 90% attendance rule will be invoked, and the parents will be notified.

Punctuality and good attendance are important to a student’s educational success. Students who arrive late or leave early disrupt the classroom routine for everyone. It is important that students know their dismissal plan before they arrive at school. We will not interrupt classrooms to give daily reminders. Therefore, it is essential that the parent must notify the front office through a phone call or email.

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of the first period. The teacher will call or send an attendance list of absent students to the office by 9:00 AM.

Note: Chronically tardy students can be asked not to return to school for the following year if there is no improvement during the school year in daily attendance. Definitions regarding Attendance terms

Tardy- [A student who arrives after 8:00 AM. A student who arrives at school after 10:00 AM is counted absent]

Students will be marked Excused or UnExcused by the admins/front office based on the reasons provided by the student or adult.  

Absence: [A student is marked absent when he/she is not on campus and/or when they arrive after 10:00 AM without any valid reason]

Student’s absence will be marked Excused or Unexcused by the admins if it is only for a day or two and by the principal if it is a long absence or a pre-planned absence.

To report an absence call

Call 972.836.6322 or Email  office@goodtreeacademy.org

Please leave the date, the child’s name, the teacher, and a short reason for the absence.  

Extended Absences – Any absences that will be more than two days or pre-planned absences.

Students must not be taken out of school for vacations. Parents deciding to take their children out of school to go on a planned family vacation must inform the school in writing at least two weeks in advance by completing an absence excuse form. The form must be signed by the Principal and will be used to inform the teachers whether the absence is Excused or Unexcused. Work and assignments will not be sent in advance of leaving.

Children who are out of school longer than the minimal requirement of attendance days per quarter may not receive a grade for that particular marking period.

Excused Absences

1. The following shall constitute valid excuses for temporary non-attendance provided the evidence of the excuse is submitted to the school. However, excused absences may not exceed 10 days per year Illness or injury with doctor’s note
2. Illness of immediate family member (at the Principal’s discretion)
3. Death in immediate family
4. Medical or dental Appointments
5. Court appearances
6. Hajj
7. Educational or religious opportunity: such as travel overseas with written approval from the principal and such that the student/family assume responsibility for making up work
8. Participation in school sponsored/approved activities
9. Other circumstances that may be excused at the Principal’s discretion
10. Make up work – Students will be given 10 days upon return for full credit.

Unexcused Absences

Absences for any reasons not listed above for excused absences will be considered unexcused absences. Note that the absence of a child from school resulting from suspension or expulsion of that student for misconduct is an unexcused absence.

1. Three unexcused absences by a student in a marking period will result in a note sent home to the parents.
2. Five or more unexcused absences by a student in the same marking period will result in a note sent home to the parents for a conference.
3. Should more than ten (10) unexcused absences by a student occur in the same semester, the parents would be required to meet with the school administration to evaluate the validity of the absences. If they are not found to be valid, it may result in no report card being issued for that marking period.
4. If the student has more than twenty (20) absences (excused or unexcused) for the total year, she/he may not be promoted and retained in the same grade.
5. If a student is excused for a doctor or dental appointment and is not absent from the building for more than 90 minutes, the student will not be counted absent or tardy. The child must report to the office for a class admission slip when returning to school. Students absent from school for up to one-half day will be counted as absent one-half day. School staff members will monitor student attendance on an ongoing basis. The parent/guardian will be contacted when absence/tardiness reaches serious levels.
6. Unauthorized absence from classes:

• Personal business (traffic concerns, shopping, working, babysitting, misc. appointments)
• Oversleeping
• Any issues which can be addressed after school hours
• Leaving school without permission
• Picking student up between 3:00-3:30 without a valid reason

Makeup work – Students will be given 10 days upon return for a late grade of 70%