Superintendent concerned with attendance numbers
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

Prekindergarten students have the lowest attendance percentage in the Lampasas Independent School District. "That's normal for kids that age," said Superintendent Dr. Brant Myers. "When those little kids get a sniffle or a cough, their mothers tend to keep them at home."

That's not to say the LISD encourages parents to send their sick kids to school, he added. "If children are running a high fever or are nauseous, we don't want them to come to school. But if they have a runny nose or a cough, there's no reason they can't be in class."

Myers said the school district has nurses trained to take care of the students. "They do a good job, and they will look after them."

The superintendent said he is puzzled why the district's attendance numbers are so low this early in the school year.

In September, prekindergarten enrollment hovered between 90 percent and 93 percent, and one day it even dipped below the 90-percent mark.

Attendance needs to be at 97 percent districtwide, Myers said. "But it's a goal we don't reach very often. It's not about how much money we get. It's that students can't learn if they're not here every day, and parents need to realize how important it is to send their kids to school."

Myers said there is generally a grading period when the flu bug hits, around the fourth or fifth sixweek period of the school year. "That's about the middle of winter and when kids tend to be sick."

But now, in the first and second six weeks, attendance already is lower than the superintendent would like. Myers keeps charts that track attendance statistics, and he updates them each week with the most current figures.

"My priority is to keep these kids coming to school," he said. "We can't do anything with them if they miss many days per year, and state statutes require a certain number of attendance days each year."

The state's compulsory attendance law requires districts to notify a parent in writing if a student is absent from school on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-week period, or for three or more days within a fourweek period.

And it's the job of the LISD attendance officer Dick Parker to keep up with students and days missed. The district strictly enforces the policies, said Myers.

Court action could be taken if a student fails to attend school.

Myers also said a student can be considered absent if he or she misses a class period during the day.

He attributed some of the recent attendance problems to the open campus at the high school. "Students go to lunch, and some just don't come back afterward. That counts as an absence for those class periods," he said.

Myers said numbers will improve once the new high school is built and a closed-campus policy is in effect. "Students will not have the opportunity to leave. They won't be as likely to miss classes, especially in the afternoon."

The superintendent said records show that for the first six weeks 137 students have missed five or more days of school. "To me, that's excessive and not acceptable."

Letters have been sent to students' homes reiterating that officials are keeping close tabs on the attendance situation.

"I spend so much time emphasizing the importance of keeping kids in school," he said. District administrators know attendance is one of the superintendent's pet peeves.

"Absences affect everything from test scores to student success to grades. But if kids are in school, our grades will be better, our TAKS scores will increase, our attitudes will be better. Overall, it is good for everyone."