MISD attendance ticks up; district outlines truancy prevention and court coordination
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Summary
MISD presented an attendance update showing year‑to‑date attendance of about 95.1%, an increase over last year, and described new districtwide truancy procedures, weekly monitoring, and collaboration with local truancy judges to streamline filings and home visits.
The Midland Independent School District presented a student attendance report Sept. 16, showing a slight year‑over‑year improvement and describing steps the district and local courts are taking to address chronic absenteeism and truancy.
Attendance leadership said year‑to‑date attendance for the prior week was 95.1%, up from 94.8% at the same point last year; the district finished 2024–25 with a 92.5% attendance rate. The report defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason (excluding school‑related absences) and defined truancy as missing part or all of 10 or more days in a six‑month period without valid excuse.
Staff described a district‑wide response that includes automated warning letters at three, five, seven and 10 absences; soft calls after three unexcused absences; and a formal meeting at seven unexcused absences. If a student reaches 10 unexcused absences in six months, the district files truancy charges and the case is scheduled in truancy court within two to three weeks.
Attendance staff said the district moved from using a single truancy judge to four and that differences in court procedures had previously backed up filings; MISD has since worked with judges to adopt consistent procedures and the judges recently appeared at a principal learning session. The district also removed a prior requirement for campuses to perform home visits before filing, citing staff safety concerns; courts will coordinate home visits via constables as needed.
School leadership said campuses receive weekly reports comparing current attendance to last year’s numbers and that district staff will track and escalate campus trends. An audience question requested data showing whether truancy court filings lead to improved attendance; staff said they do not currently have longitudinal data but can begin collecting it.
The report concluded that the district is seeing early improvements and will continue to track attendance weekly and work with campuses and the courts to streamline prevention and filing processes.