Dennis E. Cowan Elementary School

Attendance Policy

Cowan Elementary School has an amazing staff of professionals to provide an

exceptional learning experience for your child.  In order for your child to receive

full benefit from the educational services provided, your child needs to arrive on

time, stay for the entire school day, and be in attendance every day.  

 

 

Parent Cloud 

 

The AISD Cloud (my.austinisd.org) is the gateway to accessing these tools and

setting preferences for alerts concerning grades and attendance. The following

tiles can be selected to view and update information. In AISD, parents are able to

access all their student's educational information in one place: the Parent Cloud!

To monitor attendance and utilize other resources available, create a Parent

Cloud account today. For assistance with creating an account, please call 512-414-9187.

 

 

Parent Self-Serve (PSS)  

 

PSS is an application that allows parents/guardians to update phone numbers, email addresses, and set alerts for attendance and grades. Attendance notifications are sent daily. Grading notifications are sent after 4:30 pm daily and based on grading thresholds set.  The grades found on PSS are considered the official grade book and attendance of record.

 

Mobile Version- There’s an APP for that: Once parents have created logins

at my.austinisd.org, then mobile apps can be used to more quickly view student progress information - https://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dept/technology/docs/Cloud...MS_Parent_Self-Serve_Mobile.pdf. 

 

My Messages  

 

Using the School Messenger software, communications are sent regarding events and activities occurring either at the district, campus, or classroom level.  These messages are independent of any BLEND or PSS grading or attendance messaging.  Parents /guardians can opt in or out of receiving certain communications from the district by making selections by type within this tool.  For more detailed information on how to set preferences, visit: 

https://www.austinisd.org/technology/parent-cloud/schoolmessenger. 

 

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE POLICY

 

TARDIES

 

Any student who joins the class after 7:40 a.m. is considered tardy, which is defined as a partial day

unexcused absence. If your child is tardy, walk your child into the main office and sign-in your child.  

 

The only time a child who arrives after 7:40 a.m. is excused is if they are late due to being

transported by an A.I.S.D. school bus or if they arrive late due to a doctor/dentist/medical

appointment and a school excuse from the medical staff is provided upon their arrival.

 

● If a student arrives after 7:40 a.m. from an appointment, a school excuse provided by the

medical professional should be provided within TWO days of appointment to excuse the

tardy.

● If a student arrives after 9:30a.m., their absence will be considered unexcused for the day if a

note is not provided. 

 

Absences

 

If your child is sick, keep them home. Send a note within TWO days of the student’s return

explaining the reason for the absence. A parent note is sufficient.

Notes CAN be submitted via EMAIL to COWAN@AUSTINISD.ORG

 

 Dismissal

 

● If you choose to pick up your child prior to dismissal at 3:00 p.m., it is considered an

unexcused tardy. For truancy purposes,in order for an early dismissal to be excused, a

school excuse provided by the medical professional should be provided upon their

return.  School excuses should be provided within TWO days of appointment.

● If your child is sent home by the nurse, the early dismissal will be considered excused.

There are several steps we take to ensure that parents understand the compulsory

attendance law including, but not limited to the following:  

1. When a student accumulates three full day unexcused absences within a four-week period, a

letter is generated by the district to notify parents about their student’s attendance and

compliance with state compulsory attendance laws.

2. The written notification will request a conference between school officials and the parent to

discuss the absences.  Our campus attendance committee will work collaboratively with you

to discuss how to improve school attendance. 

3. In an effort to continuously improve how we address attendance challenges, the AISD Child

Study Team has developed a class entitled, “Attendance Matters”.  The purpose of the class

is to provide you with solution focused strategies to improve school attendance.

4. If a student has ten UNEXCUSED days or partial days within a six-month period, the

school may file charges against the parent for non-compliance in accordance with

compulsory attendance laws.

5. Please also consider the financial situation of our school district.  Every time a child misses

school, the district loses approximately $60 a day.  This state revenue goes directly into your

 

child’s education, which includes paying the salary of your child’s favorite teacher! ☺