Enrollment & Attendance Regulations

REGULATIONS (Attendance)

Enrollment Requirements

Every child in this state who is a citizen of the United States or a legally admitted alien and who is over the age of five years and not over the age of 21 years on the first day of September of the year in which admission is sought shall be permitted to enroll if his parent, guardian, or the person having lawful control of him under an order of the court resides in the KISD. No other adult may register a child unless the requirements in paragraph 4, below, have been met. Questions concerning these requirements should be addressed to the Office of Campus Safety and Support.

All students must be enrolled with their legal name as it appears on the birth certificate, issued by the official registrar of the state or foreign country in which the child was born. Change of the name of pupils may be accomplished only through court action or due process of law.

The parent(s), guardian(s), or other person(s) having lawful control under order of a court, must complete the online registration process, which is electronically signed and dated, for ALL students (returning and new). Enrollment is conditional pending completion of the online registration.

WARNING

Presenting a false document or record while registering a student in the Klein ISD is an offense under the Texas Penal Code and subjects the enrolling party to liability for tuition costs. In addition, if a student is enrolled pending the receipt of the official proof of identity, law enforcement authorities will be contacted after 30 days have elapsed and asked to determine if the child has been reported as missing.

If a student under the age of 18 years is living separate and apart from his parent, guardian, or other person having lawful control of him under an order of a court, it must be established by that person that the student’s presence in the school district is not for the primary purpose of participating in extracurricular activities. Written requests for enrollment with documentation must be made to the superintendent of schools. Upon receipt of same, the superintendent of schools shall grant conditional enrollment. However, the Board of Trustees has the final responsibility for determining whether an applicant for admission is a resident of the Klein school district for purposes of attending the public schools.

To enroll a student in prekindergarten, the child must have reached the legal age of 4 years on or before September 1 of the current year and meet guidelines for participation. Please call the school principal for enrollment criteria.

To enroll a student in kindergarten, the child must have reached the legal age of 5 years on or before September 1 of the current year.

In the Klein ISD a child who will be 6 years of age on or before September 1 and who has not attended public school kindergarten may be enrolled in the kindergarten program rather than in grade one.

To enroll a student in the first grade, the child must have reached the legal age of 6 years on or before September 1 of the current school year. If a student is at least 5 years old on

REGULATIONS (Attendance)

September 1 and has completed kindergarten in the public schools in another state or foreign country prior to transferring to a Texas public school, he/she may be enrolled in grade one.

If a student transfers into the Klein district from a public school in another state or foreign country and has been enrolled and actually receiving instruction in the first grade in that state or foreign country for a minimum of 20 school days, he/she is eligible to be enrolled in the KISD first grade provided the student was 5 years of age on or before September 1 of the year involved. Students in this category will not be admitted until appropriate transfer instruments and/or documents are presented to the school principal or his representative. It is the responsibility of the parents to obtain these data.

Students who are not citizens of the United States will be allowed to enroll in the KISD when they meet all state and local entrance requirements.

The KISD will not sign or complete permission forms to authorize initial school enrollment for students from foreign countries until they are residents of the KISD.

Noncitizen foreign exchange students who meet all of the requirements of the respective programs and KISD regulations will be allowed to enroll.

A child placed by an agency of the state or a political subdivision with foster parents who reside in the KISD shall be permitted to enroll. The appropriate papers must be provided for the school principal by the foster parents.

A child who resides at a child-caring institution and whose maintenance expenses are paid in whole or in part by another state may not be admitted to the KISD unless the child-caring institution pays tuition for the child equal to the actual cost of educating a child enrolled in the district. This amount will be established annually and will represent the KISD's local tax share for maintenance and operation.

Homeless Students

The Klein ISD complies with the McKinney-Vento Education Assistance Act of 2001, which addresses the special circumstances of homeless students. Questions or concerns about issues arising under this federal law should be addressed to the liaison for the homeless, the Director of State and Federal Programs at (832) 249-4006.

Enrollment Without Guardianship

Guardianship is not required for enrollment in the Klein ISD. There is a special provision in the attendance laws of the State of Texas that authorizes the enrollment of a student in the KISD who is living separate and apart from his parent, guardian, or other person having lawful control under an order of a court if the obtaining of guardianship is not the chosen course of action.

A minor student residing in the district whose parent, guardian, or other court-approved custodian does not reside in the district shall be enrolled pending submission of a Power of Attorney assigning responsibility for the student in all school-related matters to an adult resident of the district. In addition, a signed statement must be provided affirming that the child is not enrolling in the Klein ISD for the primary purpose of participating in extracurricular activities. Power of Attorney forms shall be made available by the schools.

In cases where the parent/guardian is unavailable to sign the Power of Attorney immediately, the principal shall grant a 30-day grace period for the applicant to complete the form and return it to the principal. Failure to provide appropriate documentation to the principal by the expiration of the grace period would result in the withdrawal of the student, unless it is determined by the Department of Campus Safety and Support that a Power of Attorney cannot be reasonably obtained (e.g., where the whereabouts of the parent or legal guardian are unknown.)

Upon the receipt of the Power of Attorney (or a determination that a Power of Attorney cannot reasonably be obtained) and the statement regarding extracurricular activities, the Department of Campus Safety and Support, in consultation with the Superintendent will make a final determination whether a minor student residing in the district separate and apart from a parent, guardian, or other person having lawful control under order of a court is present in the district for the primary purpose of participating in extracurricular activities. The student will remain enrolled during this period.

Checklist of Enrollment Requirements

Children entering kindergarten and first grade for the first time who were not pre-registered in the spring will need:
• Proof of identity (Official birth certificate preferred)
• Complete immunization health record

• Completed online enrollment application which includes registration information and emergency procedure forms to be used in the event of an accident, etc.

• Records from kindergarten if child attended (not mandatory, but will be helpful in grouping) • Proof of residence in the Klein ISD. A lease agreement, light, water, or gas bill with your

name and address is acceptable. Telephone bills cannot be accepted.

Students transferring from other districts, grades 2-5, will need:
• Proof of identity (For example: birth certificate, social security card, or passport)
• Transcript of work (report card, progress report, evaluation report that is printed, written

and/or signed by school personnel to designate grade level). It is the responsibility of the

parents to secure this information.
• A statement, book card, withdrawal form, or computer card clearing their record from the

previous school
• Immunization record, either from the previous school or the family doctor
• Proof of residence in the Klein ISD. A lease agreement, light, water, or gas bill with your

name and address is acceptable. Telephone bills cannot be accepted.
• Completed online enrollment application which includes registration information and

emergency procedure forms to be used in the event of an accident, etc.

All enrollment is conditional until receipt of the above items.

Required Immunizations

Returning KISD students must be in compliance with immunization requirements in order to attend school. New students to KISD shall consult with the school nurse to determine their immunization status for enrollment.

Immunization rules are set by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and may be changed at any time. DSHS rules are minimum standards and schools may have stricter requirements. The school nurse will monitor and require immunizations up to 6 months before the delinquent date.

REGULATIONS (Attendance)

Please contact your school nurse or visit the KISD website at https://www.kleinisd.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=568125&pageId=1973342 for further information or clarification of state immunization laws.

Attendance Requirements

The period of pupil attendance in the elementary schools shall extend from the opening day of school through the last day of school.

Every pupil who is enrolled in school is expected to attend school regularly, unless he is prevented by illness, death in the family, or other legitimate reasons acceptable under Board of Trustees' policy or state law.

In the event a pupil is absent from school for any reason, he is required on his return to school to bring a written excuse signed by his parents. A student must present a note from his or her parent or guardian within 5 school days after the absence or it becomes categorized as an unexcused absence. It is recommended that the date(s) of the student's absence be included in the signed parent excuse.

If a child is absent without the reason made known to the school, the attendance officer will be notified and requested to make a visit to the home or to follow other procedures set up by the Klein Independent School District's policy.

Good attendance is of prime importance for the educational development of each student. A student should never be absent unless it is absolutely necessary. Acceptable and excused absences are the following: personal sickness, sickness in the immediate family, death in the immediate family (immediate family includes grandparents, mother, father, sister, and brother), and school sponsored activities. Any variations of this may be discussed with the student's assistant principal or principal.

State law provides that if a student is absent from school on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period in the same school year:

1. The student’s parent or guardian is subject to prosecution under Section 25.093 of the

   Texas Education Code; and

2. The student is subject to referral to a truancy court for truant conduct under Section

   65.003(a), Family Code.

A student who is absent more than 18 days during the school year may not be given credit except for an illness of the student, as verified by a doctor’s written statement showing the dates of absence*, or extenuating circumstances approved by the campus attendance committee, the majority of which consists of classroom teachers.

• Any student who is absent more than 18 days during the school year will have his/her attendance record reviewed by the campus attendance committee to determine if extenuating circumstances exist. Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to the following:

• Illness or death in the immediate family

• Late enrollment or early withdrawal of a student placed in or having resided in a

  community care home by the Texas Youth Commission

• Late enrollment or early withdrawal of a migratory student as defined by applicable federal

  regulations

• Weather or road conditions making travel dangerous

• A natural disaster.

(Attendance) REGULATIONS

*It is not necessary for a student to have a note from a doctor each time he/she is ill. However, if the number of absences exceeds 18 days in the school year, and if medical reasons are given for an additional absence, a doctor's note will be required for the day(s) of illness in order to receive academic credit unless waived by the attendance committee.
Any absence not verified by a note from the student’s parent or guardian within five days will not be eligible for consideration by the attendance committee as extenuating. The date(s) of the student’s absence should be included in the signed parent excuse.

A student will not be classified as absent for the following reasons:

• TAPS: A student in grades 6-12 who misses school for the purpose of sounding TAPS

  at a military honors funeral in Texas for a deceased veteran.

• A student who misses school for the purpose of a required court appearance.

  (Documentation required). Absences to meet with Probation Officers and other

  absences related to court-ordered activities outside the courtroom do not qualify.

• A student who misses school for the observance of religious holy days if the parent

  submits a written request.

• A student who misses school to appear at a governmental office to complete paperwork

  required in connection with the student’s application for U.S. citizenship.

• A student who misses school to take part in a U.S. naturalization oath ceremony.

• A student who misses school to serve as an election clerk.

• A student who misses school for up to two (2) days to serve as an early voting clerk after

  giving prior notice to teachers and receiving permission from the principal.

• A student visiting with his parent, including a stepparent or legal guardian, who has been

  called to active duty for, is on leave from, or is returning from a deployment of at least four months, can miss up to five days of school. Absences will only be excused if they are within no earlier than the 60th day before deployment or no later than the 30th day after the parent’s return from deployment.

• A student 17 years of age or older who is pursuing enlistment in a branch of the U.S. Armed Services or Texas National Guard, provided the absence does not exceed four days during the years the student is enrolled in high school and the student provides verification to the district of these activities.

• For students in conservatorship (custody) of the state, a student who misses school to participate in an activity: (1) ordered by a court under Chapter 262 or 263, Family Code, provided that it is not practicable to schedule the participation outside of school hours; or (2) required under a service plan under Subchapter B, Chapter 263, Family Code.

• A student who misses no more than 2 days as a junior and/or no more than 2 days as a senior to visit an accredited institution of higher education for the purpose of determining a student’s interest in attending the institution provided the student verifies the visit(s) in accordance with district procedures.

• A student who misses school for a temporary absence due to an appointment with a health care professional for the student or a child of the student, who commences classes or returns to school on the same day of the appointment if he/she brings a note from the health care professional. This includes a temporary absence of a student diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder on the day of the student’s appointment with an appropriate health care practitioner, as defined below, to receive a generally recognized service for persons with autism spectrum disorder, including applied behavioral analysis, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. Any faxed note must come directly from the doctor’s and/or health care practitioner’s office, as appropriate.

REGULATIONS (Attendance)

A health care practitioner is defined as one:
1. who is licensed, certified, or registered by an appropriate agency of this state, or
2. whose professional credential is recognized and accepted by an appropriate agency of the U.S., or
3. who is certified as a provider under the TRICARE military health system.

Transfer students who have been in attendance for less than two-thirds of the grading period will receive one of the following:

• A combination of the sending school grade, if available, and the grade based on Klein

  classroom performance

• The Klein grade exclusively if all work, including any make-up work required by the teacher,

  is completed satisfactorily

   

  Excused and Unexcused Absences

  The student will be expected to make up all reports, assignments, tests, etc., missed for excused absences in the same number of days in which he was absent unless the teacher lengthens the schedule. Make-up work not completed in the scheduled time will result in "0's" on those assignments.

  Days missed by a student suspended out of school will be considered excused if the student satisfactorily completes missed assignments in the same number of days he was absent.

  A student who is absent without parent knowledge or who has cut class will be assigned to an on-campus or after-school detention program.

   

  Students Leaving Campus

  A parent/guardian consent must be obtained before any student is allowed to leave campus for any part of the school day. The following procedures are in place to document the required consent.

  1. For students in elementary and intermediate school, a parent/guardian or authorized adult

     must come to the office and sign the student out. Proper identification will be required in order to release a student. If the student returns to campus the same day, the parent/guardian or authorized adult must sign the student back in through the main office. Documentation regarding the reason for the absence will also be required.

  2. For students in high school, the same process will be followed. If the student’s parent/guardian will authorize the student to leave campus unaccompanied, a note provided by the parent must be submitted. A phone call received from the parent/guardian may be accepted, but the school may require a note to be submitted for documentation purposes. The student must sign out through the attendance office and sign in upon his/her return if the student returns the same day. Documentation regarding the reason for the absence will be required.

  3. If a student becomes ill during the school day and the school nurse or other district personnel determines that the student should go home, the nurse will contact the student’s parent/guardian and document the parent/guardian consent. The parent/guardian or authorized adult must follow the sign-out procedures as listed above.

   

  Closing Schools for Weather and Weather-Related Reasons

1. Only in unusual instances, i.e., hurricane warning, tornado destruction, would the decision to CLOSE the Klein ISD schools be made the preceding day or at any time other than as mentioned below. However, if so, the decision is made as early in that day as possible, usually by 4:00 p.m., based on all information available at the moment which includes any reasonable projections that can be determined.

The decision to CLOSE the schools for the coming day, assuming that information was not available on the preceding day, is made between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Staff members monitor the direct Weather Bureau reports, drive around the district examining roads and bridges, and observe general weather conditions. The temperature is only one of the factors considered. Employees who have already reported to work in the transportation department, as well as the twenty-four-hour-a-day police department dispatchers, are consulted for observations that have been reported to them.

In addition, school administrators with related levels of responsibility in adjacent districts are consulted as to the nature of the reports that they have received by a similar data gathering system. This provides a panoramic analysis of North Harris County weather and safety conditions. The first buses leave the transportation center at approximately 6:00 a.m.; therefore, early action is necessary. If the KISD decided to CLOSE the schools after 6:00 a.m., there would be thousands of students stranded and/or unattended for the entire day because their parents, many of whom had already left for work, presumed that the Klein schools would be open or would have difficulty in making appropriate child care arrangements.

The weather conditions may improve or deteriorate after 6:00 a.m. Texas weather is notoriously unpredictable. However, the decision TO REMAIN OPEN OR TO CLOSE the schools for that day generally will not be reversed after that time. Of course, there would be an exception in the event of a calamity.

2. If the decision is made to CLOSE the schools, the school principals and news media are then contacted so that students and staff members can be informed as quickly as possible. Inasmuch as the principals, too, are receiving calls, this procedure has limitations. Radio and television stations vary in the frequency that school closing announcements are broadcast. We suggest that you tune to KTRH, 740 AM and to your favorite television channel.

   If the decision is made to proceed with the OPENING of school, all of the appropriate safety measures are exercised.

3. The KISD covers 87.5 square miles and its fleet of 297 school buses travels approximately

   2.6 million miles annually. Even though many of the streets and roads may be safe, especially in the subdivisions, the decision to CLOSE the schools has to be made based on general conditions throughout the school district. The freeways to Houston may be in good condition due to the special treatment they receive from city and county maintenance crews; however, the many bridges over creeks and their tributaries and drainage ditches throughout the KISD create hazardous driving conditions very quickly, even for our experienced and highly professional bus drivers.

4. An information network is automatically established in the school district's central office complex during all periods of bad weather and decisions are made during the course of each day as this location becomes the center for reports from all building-level and central office administrators.

5. ELEMENTARY AND INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS ARE NEVER DISMISSED EARLY AND HIGH SCHOOLS WOULD ONLY BE DISMISSED IF WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE. OF COURSE, CHILDREN ARE ALWAYS RELEASED TO THEIR OWN PARENTS ON REQUEST. If it becomes necessary to DISMISS the high schools during the day due to a power failure, etc., individual arrangements are made through the superintendent in consultation with the executive directors of Campus Safety and Support, the principal, and the maintenance and transportation departments.

6. There could be a rare instance in which we would NOT ALLOW the students to leave the school at the normal departure time. If the weather conditions dictated that it would be unsafe to do so, the students would remain under the supervision of building personnel until the danger period was over. This could be an instance in which the KISD's emergency preparedness plan with the Red Cross would be activated.

7. It cannot be immediately determined when any MAKE-UP DAY will be scheduled. Staff members will always be consulted for recommendations prior to the decision.

Disease Control Measures

The following conditions require exclusion from school attendance in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the Texas Department of State Health Services:

Chicken pox:

Readmit after the lesions become dry or if lesions are not vesicular (raised, fluid filled), until 24 hours have passed with no new lesions occurring.

Conjunctivitis (bacterial and/or viral):

Readmit after receiving physician permission to return or until symptom free.

Diphtheria:

Readmit after a physician's certificate or health permit is obtained. Report suspected cases immediately to local health department.

Fever (100.0°F or greater):

Readmit when fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-suppressing medications.

Gastroenteritis:

Readmit when diarrhea free for 24 hours without the use of diarrhea-suppressing medications.

Hepatitis, viral type A:

Readmit after 1 week from onset of illness. Immune globulin should be given to household contacts. If more than one case occurs in a school, immune globulin should be considered for all children and parents involved.

Impetigo:

Readmit when treatment has begun.

Influenza:

Readmit when symptoms subside and the child has been free of fever for 24 hours.

Measles (rubeola):

Readmit after 4 days from rash onset. In an outbreak, unimmunized children should also be excluded for at least 2 weeks after last rash onset occurs. Report suspect cases immediately to local health department.

Meningitis, bacterial:

Readmit after a physician's certificate or health permit is obtained. Depending on which bacteria are causing the illness, prophylactic antibiotics may be recommended for family members. Occasionally, close contacts at a school are also treated. For more complete information, please refer to pages 128 and 129 in the Appendix (or pages 130 and 131 for the Spanish version).

Meningitis, viral (Aseptic meningitis):

Rarely serious. Usually caused by common viruses such as herpes simplex, adenovirus, or coxsackie virus. Investigation of contacts and source of infection usually not indicated. Readmit to school if no fever.

Mumps:

Readmit 5 days after the onset of swelling.

Pertussis (whooping cough):

Readmit after 5 days of antibiotic therapy. Unimmunized contacts should be immunized and receive antibiotic prophylaxis. Report suspected cases immediately to local health department.

Poliomyelitis:

Readmit after a physician's certificate or health permit is obtained. Report cases immediately to local health department.

Ringworm

Readmit if infected area can be completely covered by clothing/bandage; otherwise exclude until treatment has begun..

Rubella (German measles):

Readmit after 7 days from rash onset. In an outbreak, unimmunized children should be excluded for at least 3 weeks after last rash onset occurs. Report suspected cases immediately to local health department.

Salmonellosis:

Readmit when diarrhea subsides.

Scabies:

Readmit when treatment has begun. Careful examination of close contacts required to identify early infection. Household members should be treated prophylactically.

Shigellosis:

Readmit when diarrhea subsides.

Streptococcal sore throat and scarlet fever:

Readmit after 24 hours from time antibiotic treatment began.

Tuberculosis, pulmonary:

Readmit after antibiotic treatment has begun, and a physician's certificate or health permit is obtained. All classroom contacts should have TB skin tests. Antibiotic prophylaxis indicated for newly positive reactors.

Tuberculosis skin test, positive:

If the student has a reactive skin test and is symptomatic of TB, he/she will not be admitted to school until documentation of the chest X-ray is submitted to the school.

Admit to school with documentation of a negative chest X-ray or proof of a scheduled appointment for a chest X-ray. Documentation of a negative chest X-ray and evaluation for preventive therapy must be presented to the school after the appointment.

Other disease control measures may be instituted as needed.

Tardiness

Students should be taught by school and home to be in the right place at the right time. A student shall be marked tardy if he is not in his room or mod area and seated when the tardy bell rings.

Tardy students arriving at school shall report to the office for a tardy slip for admission to class. Each school will establish its own tardy procedures and notify the students and parents by the first day of school.

Withdrawals

Students withdrawing from school must be accompanied by their parents or guardian. Report cards and book cards cannot be issued to such students until records are clear.

The KISD assumes that the person who signed the student's enrollment card is the parent, legal guardian, or the person having lawful control of the student under an order of the court. Therefore, the right to withdraw a student belongs exclusively to the person signing the enrollment card. The only exception would be if a county sheriff or constable has in his possession a court order directing him to pick up the child(ren).