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The State Says Parent's Word Isn't Good Enough

Dear Scott:

I took my son to the doctor the other day during school hours. I forgot to get one of those standard excuse notes to give the office workers when I took him back to school. I offered to give them the receipt for my co-payment, but they wouldn't take it. They asked me to call the doctor and get him to fax a note to them. How much documentation do they need when a student misses an hour or two of school because of a doctor's appointment? Shouldn't it be enough for his mother to sign him in and out and write down the reason for absence in the office logbook? – K.F.

Dear K.F.:

Believe it or not, this is a money question. Schools qualify for basic state funding based on Average Daily Attendance, or ADA. This means absences cost the school money.

Texas Education Agency regulations allow five reasons why schools can count a student present even if he or she is absent when attendance is taken for the day. An appointment with a health-care professional is one of those reasons.

Schools must keep documentation of those absences in case TEA attendance auditors come to the campus. TEA does not dictate what constitutes appropriate documentation.

Some schools require the doctor's note. Others will take the insurance co-pay receipt with the date on it. Some schools accept a photocopy of a doctor's prescription with the date and student name. Still others might be satisfied with the office log that shows a parent's signature confirming that their child was absent because of a doctor appointment.

The best thing to do is find out what your school requires and get in the habit of providing it to the office staff.



— Scott Parks
Why isn't parent's OK enough on an absence?
Dallas Morning News
2003-11-03
http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/education/stories/110303dnmetedcol.9ec10.html

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