Skip To Main Content

Attendance Accounting & Absence Documentation

Attendance Accounting

Students must be present in school at 10:00 a.m. in order to be counted present for purposes of reporting attendance to the state. Student attendance is taken in each class daily. Students must be in attendance the majority of the school day in order to participate in school-related activities on that day or evening.

Absences and Required Documentation

LTISD schools are no longer accepting phone calls to excuse student absences. 

The PREFERRED method of reporting an absence is through SMART Tag's Elementary Campus Dismissal Manager, however an email or a written note upon your child's return to school is also acceptable.

Absence notes must include:

  • Student's full name AND
  • Date(s) of absence(s) AND
  • Reason for absence(s)

Notification can be made in ANY of the following forms:

  • Report absence indicating reason through School Dismissal Manager (preferred) OR
  • Email from the parent's email address to the registrar OR
  • Doctor's note OR
  • Handwritten note signed by the parent.

Phone calls will not be accepted as appropriate documentation for any absence.

Per district policy, written documentation should be provided by parent/guardian within 3 days of the first day of the student's return to school. Absence notes will be processed 5-7 days after the child's absence. If a note is not submitted during this time,the absence will become unexecused. It is recommended that absences are reported daily. District policy requires a doctor's note if the student was absent more than 5 consecutive days.

Please see the online LTISD Student/Parent Handbook for more information on excused and unexcused absences.

The registrar will document in the attendance records for the students whether the absence is considered by the district to be excused or unexcused. Please note that, unless the absence is for a statutorily allowed reason under compulsory attendance laws, the district is not required to excuse any absence, even if the parent provides a note explaining the absence.