United Independent School District reaffirmed its commitment to strong and consistent student attendance during its fifth annual Attendance Proclamation ceremony, recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month.

District administrators, elected officials, community partners, campus leaders, and attendance personnel gathered for the event, which highlighted the important role regular school attendance plays in student achievement.

The ceremony also coincided with Attendance Officers and Clerks Appreciation Week, observed Sept. 14-18. UISD recognized attendance officers and clerks for their work encouraging students to attend school, reducing truancy, communicating with families, conducting home visits, and supporting students throughout the district. 

As part of the event, UISD continued its districtwide “Give Me 5” attendance campaign, an initiative designed to encourage strong and consistent school attendance. Gonzalez Middle School students Jenesee Zapata and Kristian Cantu represented their peers by reciting the Give Me 5 Student Pledge. Associate Superintendent for District Administration and Student Services Rebecca Coss Morales led District administrators, staff, and guests in an attendance pledge as well. She stressed the importance of reaching the District’s 95% attendance goal.

District 7 Board Member Dianely Martinez, a graduate of Alexander High School, thanked attendance personnel for the impact their work has on students throughout the district.

“As a product of UISD myself, I can tell you that the work you all do every single day-showing up and motivating our kids to be present-goes above and beyond,” Martinez said. “Know that with every child you talk to, every life you touch, there will be success. And when that success happens, it is because of all the work that is done at UISD.”

Webb County Treasurer Raul Reyes, a Lyndon B. Johnson High School graduate and member of the UISD League of Legends, read the proclamation recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month. Reyes reflected on the importance of looking beyond attendance statistics and recognizing the individual students behind them.

“Attendance isn’t really about numbers. It’s about people. It’s about whether someone showed up and, perhaps more importantly, whether somebody noticed when they didn’t,” Reyes said. “Somewhere in our school district, there is a child who may be carrying something none of us can see. Maybe there’s trouble at home. Maybe transportation fell through. Maybe they’re being bullied or struggling emotionally or academically. Maybe they simply don’t believe that walking through those school doors today matters.”

Reyes said that is where the work of the district’s attendance personnel can make a difference.

“There is an attendance clerk who notices an empty seat. Someone makes the phone call. Someone asks the question, ‘Where is this child?’ And sometimes that simple question can change the direction of a life.”

For Gregorio Reyes, an attendance officer at Lyndon B. Johnson High School, the importance of coming to school can be explained to students in practical terms.

“Every day you come to school, you have a chance to learn something,” Reyes said. “On the high school level, if you have five classes, you have the opportunity to learn five different things every day. I tell the kids, multiply that by almost 180 days of school. That’s a lot of things you can learn in a school year, and I think that’s a win for them. It’s going to benefit them in the future.”

Through the Give Me 5 campaign and the work of attendance personnel across its campuses, UISD is encouraging students, families, and the community to make every school day count.

 

Gonzalez Middle School students Kristian Cantu (left) and Jenesee Zapata sign their “Give Me 5” pledges as UISD Associate Superintendent for District Administration and Student Services Rebecca Morales looks on.

 

Webb County Treasurer Raul Reyes

 

UISD District 7 Board Member Dianelle Martinez

 

Gonzalez Middle School students Jenesee Zapata and Kristian Cantu (front and center left to right) stand between Webb County Treasurer Raul Reyes and UISD District 7 Board Member Dianelle Martinez along with other community partners and UISD administrators.