Parent Notes

  • Welcome to Palo Alto Middle School! It is our goal for all students to be successful and regular school attendance is a major component to student academic success. Students who miss school (full day or partial day) are required to turn in a note from their parent/guardian or professional office explaining their absence. 

    A parent can excuse their child due to illness in lieu of a doctor’s note. However, there is a limit of ten (10) parent notes per school year. 

    Please include the following information in all notes:

    • Students' First and Last Names as they appear on their Student ID 
    • Date of Birth 
    • Grade 
    • Date of absence and reason for absence

    Professional Appointments – (Medical, Dental, Legal) 

    In the event your student has a medical, dental or legal appointment, notes from the health care or legal professional are required. All notes should be turned in to the office upon returning to school. 

Unexcused Absence(s)

  • Absences with parental knowledge such as missing the bus, baby-sitting, visiting relatives, vacations, moving, extended holidays, shopping, car trouble, and oversleeping are documented as UNEXCUSED. 

      Tardy 

      • Tardy 

        Students are considered tardy when the tardy bell rings. 15 minutes after the tardy bell, a student is considered absent without proper documentation (I.e.: blue pass, clinic pass). If a student does not provide a pass, the absence will remain unexcused. 

      Truancy 

      • Truancy 

        A student who is absent from school or any class without parent/guardian knowledge or acceptable written documentation approval will be considered truant and subject to disciplinary or court action. 

      Calls 

      • Automated Attendance Calls 

        Killeen ISD has implemented an automated attendance call system. If your child is marked absent for any period(s) of the day, you will receive an automated attendance call. If you believe you received this call in error, please refer to the attendance inquiry process. 

      Inquiries

      • Attendance Inquiries 

        Attendance is entered each period during the school day by the classroom teacher, not the attendance office. If you believe your student was marked absent in error for a specific period, please contact the teacher that marked the student absent. Teacher emails are available on our campus webpage, or you can email them through Home Access. 

        Please note that a student will be marked absent each period of each day by their teacher for ISS and OSS assignments. If your student is marked absent due to ISS, OSS, Testing or a Field Trip, the absence will be corrected within 3 business days.