Last school year, 3,000 learners attended Coppell High School; with a 94% attendance rate, there were around 180 absences daily. According to assistant principal Colleen Lowry, the attendance clerk was left to process a high volume of absence notes daily. 

“The new absence note system is really designed to make it more efficient and make it easier,” Lowry said. 

Starting the 2024-25 school year, all Coppell ISD schools have had an online absence form, instead of physical notes to improve efficiency and draw in more state funding. Coppell parents can find the form on the CISD website or at the attendance office and have three school days to submit it. 

 “It should be easier when teachers ask me about students,” CHS attendance clerk Kristen Herndon said. “It makes it easier for any staff member or parents to, when they have questions, look up the information easier and find everything in one place.”  

Another reason for the change was to receive more funding from the state. Facing budget crunches due to the Texas Education Agency not releasing additional funding and increasing operations costs, more excused absences results in partial funding.  

Prior to the new system, physical attendance excuse notes made it difficult for students to remember to submit. 

“It is more convenient for the parents and students because sometimes I would forget my notes at home, and it would be the third day I was back and then I would have to sit with an empty absence even though it could have been excused,” senior Keeya Rathod said.

Lowry hopes the attendance process continues to advance and improve efficiency with new artificial intelligence technology that can read notes and automatically validate it. 

“Anything that could be automated and synced would be really nice,” Lowry said  Att

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