October 10, 2023
Dear Coppell ISD families,
Now that we have entered our second grading period, I wanted to take a moment to address a key factor in your child's education: attendance. As educators, we know that attendance plays a key role in fostering academic achievement, personal growth, and overall success for our students. Children learn best when they attend school regularly under the care and instruction of an experienced, certified teacher. You, as parents, often have to balance that desire for academic success with your child feeling overwhelmed or experiencing moments of fatigue and illness.
I want to make sure, first and foremost, that you know that we are not encouraging students who are ill, running a fever, or contagious to come to school. In fact, we ask that you use your best judgment by keeping sick students at home until they are feeling better, as it protects not only your child but also those with whom they might come into contact. In turn, if your child is feeling pressure to succeed or becomes extremely overwhelmed, I encourage you to reach out to one of our trained counselors for support and coping strategies. We care about all aspects of our student's lives and want to work with parents to help ensure strong physical and mental health.
Districts across the nation have experienced significant decreases in student attendance over the past several years. This tendency to miss school can quickly become a pattern that results in many hours of missed instruction that inhibits academic growth. Missing just two days a month can quickly turn into a regular habit. These absences add up, and suddenly, you realize that just two missed days each month means your child will have missed out on 20 days this year or 1.5 total years of instruction from kindergarten through their senior year. And, good attendance for our Pre-K students is just as important to ensure they have the best chance for success in the key growth years that follow.
We know that attendance ensures that students have access to the full range of educational opportunities we provide in Coppell ISD. Each day presents unique learning experiences, engaging class discussions, and collaborative activities that contribute to your child's intellectual development. Students with regular school attendance can actively receive content, ask questions, and benefit from the guidance of our experienced and caring Coppell ISD teachers. This active involvement in the learning process is vital in building a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that will serve your child well into the future.
Absences add up! For this reason, for the next 12 weeks, we will be sharing attendance facts and messaging with you across all grade levels. This informational campaign — Attendance Matters. You Matter! — is simply designed to help cultivate a culture of good attendance among CISD families.
As partners in your child's education, I hope that you will benefit from the information we share over the next 12 weeks and help us by prioritizing good attendance. Working together, we are committed to creating profound learning experiences for each child, while nurturing meaningful relationships, to positively impact the world. We do that one student and one day at a time.
In Coppell ISD, Attendance Matters. You Matter!
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brad Hunt
Superintendent