Truancy Enforcement
Texas Education Code 25.085 and 25.0915
Runge ISD enforces the Texas compulsory attendance laws in the following ways:
- Automated phone calls and text messages are sent to parents or guardians daily notifying them when a student has been marked absent. It is the parent's or guardian's responsibility to ensure that the most current and up-to-date contact information is on file at their child's school. Parents and guardians may refer to the District's Student Handbook, the Attendance Website, or the campus their child attends for resources, information, and support regarding attendance.
- All students will be issued a warning letter when attendance records show that the students has absences on three days or parts of days in a four-week period. This is also when the campus will begin implementation of Truancy Prevention Measures for the student. Truancy prevention measures (TPM) are required by law to assist parents and prevent the filing with the court for compulsory attendance.
Truancy Prevention Measures may include, but are not limited to:
- Parent and/or Student Conference
- Truancy Prevention Online Class
- Mandatory Tutorials
- Student Detention
- Saturday School
- In-School Suspension
When Truancy Prevention Measures fail to solve the attendance problem, referral to a truancy court becomes an option. If a student fails to attend school on 10 or more days or pats of days within a six-month period in the same school year and those absences have been verified by the campus as unexcused, students 12 and older may be referred to the prosecutor of the truancy court of Karnes County.
At this point, the campus may also file a criminal complaint against parents who contribute to the non attendance of their child, regardless of the age of their child. The goal of each campus is to provide truancy prevention measures for students who exhibit attendance issues in a way that meaningfully addresses the student's overall attendance. Runge ISD may delay the referral to court if the Truancy Prevention Measures are successful and the delay is in the best interest of the student.