Relating to verification of excused absences from public school for students with severe or life-threatening illnesses.

Contracts

• Student Handbooks: These function as the contract between the district and the family. You must revise "Attendance" and "Excused Absence" sections immediately to reflect that physician certification of a serious illness is now a mandatory excuse, not a discretionary one.
• Service Agreements: Review agreements with Student Information System (SIS) vendors to ensure attendance codes can distinguish between standard medical absences and Section 25.087(b)(3) absences to prevent automated truancy triggers.

Hiring/Training

• Attendance Clerks & Registrars: Train staff immediately to stop requesting supplemental medical records (e.g., lab results, treatment plans) for these specific cases. If the form is signed, the inquiry ends.
• School Nurses: Nurses must be instructed that they cannot override a physician’s determination of "infeasibility" of attendance.
• Physicians & Clinic Staff: Providers must be trained to use the specific district form rather than generic "return to school" notes. Electronic Medical Record (EMR) templates should be updated to include the statutory phrase "serious or life-threatening illness."

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• New Mandatory Form: Districts must draft and adopt a form that captures four specific data points:
• 1. The specific illness.
• 2. Certification that the illness is "serious or life-threatening."
• 3. The anticipated absence period.
• 4. Certification that attendance is "infeasible."
• Data Privacy: Because the form requires the specific name of the illness, it constitutes sensitive medical data. Store these forms in compliance with FERPA and HIPAA standards, separate from general cumulative folders accessible to non-essential staff.

Fees & Costs

• No New Fees: Districts cannot charge for the form processing.
• Administrative Costs: Low impact, limited to legal review of the new form and policy updates.