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State Waiver Types — Attendance

This page includes information on state waivers for student attendance. District and campus officials can request waivers for excused absences or reduced attendance rates that are the result of inclement weather, health, safety-related, or other issues. The link below provides information regarding the automated waiver system process.  

Additional Days School Year (ADSY) Waiver

The ADSY program adds half-day formula funding for school systems that add instructional days (up to 30 additional days) to any of their elementary schools per TEC §48.0051 and requires at least 180 instructional days. Beginning in the 2023–2024 school year, participating campuses are eligible for up to five days of ADSY waivers for missed instructional days throughout the year due to weather, health, or safety reasons. See SAAH, Section 11.5. These waiver days are for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the 180 days of instruction requirement and are distinct from the Missed School Day waiver.

Low Attendance Days

Districts or campuses can request a waiver to excuse any instructional days from ADA and FSP funding calculations that have attendance at least 10 percentage points below the last school year's overall average attendance, for the district or applicable campus due to inclement weather, health, or safety-related issues. See Student Attendance Accounting Handbook 3.8.1.3. In the waiver, your district must attach supporting documentation of low attendance for the day (including the reason for the low attendance rate) and the prior year's attendance report (showing the average for the year) for your district or applicable campus.

Missed School Days

Districts or campuses can request a waiver for excused absences if instructional days are missed due to inclement weather, health, safety-related, or other issues. The first two days missed for any reason must be made up, using either designated makeup days or additional minutes. See Student Attendance Accounting Handbook 3.8.1. House Bill (HB) 2610, passed by the 84th Texas Legislature, effective for the 2015-2016 school year, amends Texas Education Code (TEC), §25.081, by adding (c) which allows a school district to add additional minutes to the end of the district’s normal school hours as necessary to compensate for minutes of instruction lost due to school closure caused by disaster, flood, extreme weather conditions, fuel curtailment, or another calamity.  If because of weather, safety, or health issues, your district misses additional instructional days beyond the two days made up using built in or additional minutes or days, your school district can apply to the TEA for a missed school day waiver. 

Charter schools applying for a missed school day waiver must submit their applications as soon as possible after the missed school day so that Foundation School Program (FSP) System calendars can be updated and FSP System six-week report submissions are accurate.

See Student Attendance Accounting Handbook 3.8.2 Closures for Bad Weather or Other Issues of Health or Safety for more information.

*All attendance waivers must be submitted by the end of July for the current school year using the automated waiver system.

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