Attendance

Attendance Documentation Form

Please turn in all notes if you have outstanding unexcused absences.

To submit electronic documentation for your student's absence(s), click HERE.

• Attendance note processing may take 3-5 days to process.
• It is not necessary to submit notes in more than one form. For example, if you submit your note electronically, you do not need to send a paper copy to school with your student.

Watch this how-to document to learn how to submit your documents via Skyward

HOW TO VIDEO

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Attendance Appeal 

A SFHS Petition for Course Credit Appeal is a formal request brought by a student and the student’s legal guardian to challenge the denial of course credit based on the student’s lack of attendance. An appeal will be considered if there is evidence of one or more conditions that have adversely affected the student’s ability to attend school.  An appeal will not be considered without documentation explaining the extenuating circumstance(s) that prohibited the student from attending school.   

 

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 Visiting colleges soon? Complete this form to get your absence excused.

Excused Absence Request for a College Visit

2024-2025 SFHS Bell Schedule

Period	Time
1st Period	7:20 AM-8:07 AM
2nd Period	8:12 AM-8:59 AM
3rd Period	9:04 AM-9:52 AM   *Official Attendance at 9:15 AM
4th Period	9:57 AM-10:44 AM
5th Period	A-Lunch: 10:45 AM – 11:15 AM  A-Class: 11:16 AM - 12:16 PM  B-Class Pt.1: 10:49 AM – 11:16 AM  B Lunch:  11:16 AM – 11:46 AM  B-Class Pt. 2: 11:46 AM – 12:16 PM  C-Class: 10:49 AM – 11:46 AM  C Lunch: 11:46 AM – 12:16 PM
6th Period	12:21 PM – 1:08 PM
7th Period	1:13 PM – 2:00 PM
8th Period	2:05 PM – 2:52 PM

 

 

 

 

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Make-Up Hours

If your student has more than 8 absences in the fall semester, your student owes make-up hours. If you have questions regarding your student's attendance record or want to check on their make-up hour status, please contact: Erin.Withers@sfisd.org

Seniors and Make-Up Time

Seniors who still owe make-up time by Thursday, 4/24/25 will NOT be allowed to attend prom.

Seniors who still owe make-up time by Thursday, 5/1/25 will NOT be allowed to participate in Senior Smack-Down.

Available make-up sessions:

{Spring Dates AFTER SPRING BREAK

Community Service Options

Have make-up time, but not enough time to make it up?

SFHS is offering the following options in order to replace hours:

• Come to school 5 consecutive days with no absences and no tardies = 10 hours
• Take the TSI test and pass = 15 hours
• Go to TSI Prep = 5 hours for each class
• Charitable work for sponsored organizations = get an additional hour knocked off for each hour you are present at the organization.

See Mrs. Withers for more information.

Students who have exceeded more than 8 absences in any class period will owe make-up hours in order to gain course credit (Click here to learn more.). 

Parents and Students, please take note of our Semester Exam Exemption policy. Please keep this policy in mind when deciding to miss school for an unexcused absence if your student intends to qualify to be exempt from their semester exams.

As a reminder, students are marked "absent" if they are more than 10 minutes late to class. Because of compulsory attendance laws, students are required to be in each class 90% of the time. Students are only marked "tardy" if they are late by 10 minutes or less.

                          Attendance Works                       

       Every Day Counts Flyer (English)             

Attendance Tips For Parents

Attendance is a parent  and student responsibility Attendance is a parent and student responsibility. Let your child know that you think attending school daily is important. Show them you are interested in their school activities and tell them that you want them to do well in school. Good attendance habits start at an early age. Make sure your child goes to school regularly and on time. This helps them develop a positive view of school and the importance of attendance. Discuss with your student to arrive to school on time and to report to class when dropped off. Become involved in your child’s school life and school activities. Take an interest in your child’s school work. Check homework for accuracy and completeness. Read the school newsletter. Post the school calendar and notes on the refrigerator, or other prominent location to highlight school activities and important student information. Do not provide inappropriate excuses for your child to miss school. Do not let them take time off from school for minor ailments – particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work. Don’t expect or let older children stay home from school to babysit younger siblings.  Set good examples and enforce rules. Speak well of the school and support school staff. Make a contract with your child to improve his/her attendance. Reward  positive improvements.

Establish a Routine Give yourself and children enough time to get ready. No TV on school mornings. Provide students their own alarm clock. Teach kids to set and use their own alarm clock or clock radio. Set alarm clock 30 minutes earlier for students who need more time to get ready for school. Plan ahead the night before: such as identifying and pre-prepping breakfast, have kids choose clothes and shoes the night before, and pack their backpacks with completed homework and snacks/water. Set a regular bedtime schedule. Age should be a factor. Get proper rest and go to bed early. Have your child go to bed 10 minutes earlier and get up 10 minutes earlier. Have kids bathe or shower in the evening. Help your child relax before bedtime with a story, instead of the stimulation of television. Have schoolwork and lunch ready and laid out, ready to go. Create a special folder for completed assignments. Provide regular study times and a quiet, clean area for doing homework. Have your child walk to school or the bus stop with another child who is always on time. Limit and balance extra-curricular activities.

Show  Interest in Student’s   Activities Attend Parent Teacher Conferences Attend Back to School Night and Parent Meetings Volunteer in the classroom, on field trips or during school events. Make education a family priority. Encourage your child to get more involved with their school. Sign them up for extracurricular activities they like or an after school program. Studies show the more involved a child and parents are with their school, the better their attendance and success is.

Keep Open Lines of Communication Let the school know in advance if your child is going to be absent or if you have concerns about your child’s attendance or school performance. Report all absences on the day the student will miss school by calling the attendance office or line. Provide doctor’s notes to the attendance clerk when medical verification is available for student’s absences. If your child does not want to go to school, find out why and work with your school and child to address concerns. Let your child know he/she must attend school. If you notice your child is avoiding a particular class or is having a difficult time in one subject area, discuss this with your child and his/her teacher. Offer extra support at home. This will prevent your child from developing a behavior of avoidance in school when things become difficult. Keep a school year calendar. This is an excellent way to track all of the important dates, holidays, and events at your child’s school. It is also a convenient place to document absences (who was absent, why and how you cleared it/date cleared), phone calls/conferences with school staff, and all of your other important school related information. Help your child understand the state laws and school attendance policies.

 

 

Tardy Information

• If a student is not in class at the time of the bell ringing, they are considered tardy.
• Music plays in the hallways between each passing period, when the music turns off, this signals to students that they have ONE minute to make it to class.
• Tardy consequences will be distributed from Mrs. Erin Withers, our Attendance Improvement Specialist.
• If you have questions regarding your student's attendance/tardy record, please contact our Attendance Data Specialist, Mrs. Renea Bickerstaff at Susan.Bickerstaff@sfisd.org

SFHS Tardy Policy

• 6th Tardy – 1-Hour Detention
• 12th Tardy – 2-Hour Detention
• 18th Tardy – 3-Hour Detention
• 24th + Tardy – 1 Day of ISS and Meet with AP

Tardies are given per class. So, for example, if a student is late to every class in one day, that would be EIGHT tardies.

WILL RESET EVERY NINE WEEKS

 

Please use the link to submit your request online.

Transcript Request Link

All Transcripts will be processed within 48 to 72 hours.

Please contact Ginger Shelton if you have any questions.

SFHS & SFISD will begin to file Truancy January 2025

After a student's 10th unexcused absence in a 6-week period, Santa Fe High School will submit truancy paperwork to the Galveston County court representatives.

• It is important that you send proper documentation (within three days of a student's absence) when students miss school for medical appointments, court orders, military visitations, funerals, and approved college visits.
• Handwritten parent notes do not excuse absences for truancy court.
• This does not pertain to extracurricular absences (athletics, fine arts, FFA, field trips, etc...) as they are approved absences through the high school office.

 

ATTENDANCE -IT’S THE LAW  COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE LAW  

• The State of Texas requires 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 18th birthday, shall attend school. Texas Education Code Section 25.085
• The Compulsory School Attendance Law has been violated if a student is required to attend school under T.E.C. Section 25.085 and fails to attend school on 10 or more days or parts of days (without excuse) within a six-month period of time in the same school year or fails to attend school on three or more days or parts of days within a four-week period of time. Texas Education Code Section 25.094  
• It is the PARENT’s duty to monitor the student’s school attendance and require the student to attend school. At SFHS, a parent may call the school at any time to inquire about his/her student’s attendance record. Additionally, a parent may monitor attendance online and call the school with any questions/concerns.

Contact Info: Renae Bickerstaff-Attendance Specialist 409-927-3120 

VOE REQUEST

Please use the link to submit online.

VOE Request Form

All VOEs will be processed within 48 to 72 hours.

Please contact Ginger Shelton if you have any questions.

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Driver License Attendance Verification

For a student between the ages of 16 and 18 to obtain a driver’s license, written parental permission must be provided for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to access the student’s attendance records and, in certain circumstances, for a school administrator to provide the student’s attendance information to DPS. A verification of enrollment (VOE) form may be obtained from the office, which the student will need to submit to DPS upon application for a driver license.

Obtaining a VOE at Santa Fe High School

A student must be in attendance for 90% of the school day, for each class that was offered in the previous semester and have a passing grade for each class they were enrolled in (Texas Education Code 25.092). For example, if a student is seeking a VOE for the spring, the student’s VOE will be issued based upon their attendance in the previous fall semester. If the student was assigned make-up hours in the previous semester, they are not eligible for a VOE. Make-up hours do not count towards VOEs and the student will have to reapply the following semester. A student may have received a denial letter for the following reasons: they do not meet the 90% attendance requirement or they owe fines or fees to Santa Fe High School. If a denial letter is received, an appeal letter may be submitted to Santa Fe High School. The appeal letter should provide supporting documentation to support the claim that the student had extenuating circumstances. A committee meeting will be scheduled in which the student’s attendance history, academic history, and fines & fees history will be discussed. In most cases, the committee does not approve. The decision of the committee is final. If a VOE is denied, the student may re-apply at the beginning of the following semester.