ATTENDANCE

Instruction begins promptly at 8:30 AM and ends at 4:00 PM.  When students are not in attendance within that time frame, they are missing important instructional time. Excessive Absences, Tardiness, and Early Pick Ups may result in the student being placed on Probation and a Growth Plan implemented based on the following policies:

ABSENCES & TARDINESS

A student must be present for at least:

• 35 minutes of a class period (or 60 minutes of a 90-minute period) to be counted as present.
• Exceptions apply for students on approved field trips or other principal-approved activities.

Unexcused tardies are not converted into unexcused absences but may result in disciplinary action

REPORTING AN ABSENCE OR TARDY

When a student is absent or tardy, a written excuse from the parent or guardian must be submitted upon the student’s return to school. Acceptable reasons for absences and tardies include:

• Personal illness
• Sickness or death in the family
• Quarantine
• Dangerous weather or road conditions
• Participation in school activities (with principal approval)
• Juvenile court proceedings (documented by a probation officer)
• Approved college visitation
• Emergencies
• Any other cause deemed acceptable by the teacher, principal, or superintendent

Written excuses must be submitted within three school days of the student’s return.

For more information about HISD's policies, please check out one of the links below:

Student Requirements & Expectations

Student Attendance & Withdrawal Policies

Students may arrive no earlier than 8:00 a.m. but not before that time.  Parents are responsible for ensuring their child is dropped off between 8:00 and 8:30 AM. Students arriving after the tardy bell (8:30 am) will be marked as tardy.  We encourage parents to pick their child up promptly when school is dismissed at 4:00 p.m. each day.  Students must be picked up no later than 4:25pm.

Students leaving early must be checked out from school no later than 3:00 PM. Students may not be picked up early more than 3 times in a grading cycle.  

Attendance records of students placed on Probation and Growth Plan will be reviewed at the end of the school year before renewal of transfer for the following school year is approved.

Assigned staff supervises the arrival and dismissal of students.  Teachers have the authority and are directed by their administrator to correct any student at any time on The Rice School/La Escuela Rice campus.  For the safety and security of The Rice School students, staff, and school property, strict regulations are enforced. 

All Rice School students are able to receive free breakfast & lunch.  HISD Nutrition Services will continue to provide breakfast and lunch service through the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) for the 2025-2026 school year. Most HISD students will have the opportunity to receive school breakfast and lunch meals at no charge. For a list of schools that offer Breakfast and Lunch at no charge, click here.

 https://www.schoolcafe.com/HOUSTONISD

Students may choose to get a a well-prepared hot lunch or bring a lunch and at in the dining room.  All other areas are off-limits during lunch.  Students’ assigned lunch period is an opportunity to enjoy being with their friends and enjoy a well-prepared lunch from the cafeteria, sack lunch from home or for middle school students, food from the snack bar.  The following guidelines will assist all students in making lunchtime a more enjoyable experience.

• Arrive on time or early to lunch. (Being late to lunch without a permit is being tardy).
• Purchase all food items desired from line or snack bar before entering the seating area of the cafeteria.
• Go immediately to your seat and once there, remain seated until lunch is completed.  Students must request permission from one of the adults on duty if it is necessary to leave their seat.
• Upon completion of lunch, dispose of all trash in trash cans and place soda cans in recycling bin.  Return to the same seat and remain there until dismissed from the cafeteria.
• At the five-minute signal clean their eating area (table and floor) while one volunteer wipes the table with a cloth.
• Remember to BE COURTEOUS.  Keep the noise level at a whisper.
• Disruptive students will be referred to homeroom teacher for disciplinary action. Chronic disruption may result in discipline referral to administrator.

Parents are strongly encouraged to communicate regularly with their child’s teacher.  Please make sure contact information is current on PowerSchool.  Email, Phone, and conferences are the most effective methods of communication when it is not urgent that the parent communicate with the teacher on the same day.  The best way to give your child’s teacher same day information is through email, Class DOJO and ParentSquare (More information about this system will be provided soon).

Arrangements can be made for parent conferences with individual teachers, academic teams, counselors, and/or administrators.  These meetings must be pre-arranged and cannot be guaranteed on a drop-in basis. All employees at The Rice School have e-mail access and some have voice-mail.  All visitors to the building must report immediately to the Attendance Window (First window upon entering the school) for a visitor’s pass.

HISD values a safe and distraction-free learning environment. In accordance with House Bill 1481, all Texas public schools will implement a strict “No Personal Communication Device” rule during the instructional day.

WHAT’S CHANGING

The following devices are prohibited from use on school property during the instructional day.

 

The instructional day is defined as follows: From the time a student arrives on campus in the morning until the final period of the day concludes. Lunch and passing periods are included. 

Devices must be: 

• Kept at home or stored away
• Turned off in backpacks or lockers

Only District-provided devices are approved for use during class time.

Exceptions only for: 

• Approved medical needs
• A documented need based on a directive from a qualified physician
• Special Education needs (as outlined in the student’s IEP or 504 plan) 

Guidance services are available on an as-needed basis to assist the student in achieving success and coping with the challenges of school life.   Please contact counselor for assistance.

VIPS-approved parents may make prearrangements to visit their child’s classroom. These visits must be prearranged and approved through the child’s grade level administrator.  All visitors to the building must report immediately to the Attendance Window for a visitor’s pass.

The Houston ISD Code of Student Conduct is our framework for campus discipline and The Rice School Bus Rider’s Agreement is our guideline for bus discipline. Parents and Students are encouraged to become familiar with the copy of The Houston ISD Code of Student Conduct and The Rice School Bus Rider’s Agreement that is sent home at the beginning of the school year.

Teachers are primarily responsible for setting and implementing discipline management procedures for the classroom and other common areas of the school. Students are responsible for learning the behavior expectations of the classroom, school, and bus and will be held accountable for their chosen behaviors. Parents will be informed of student’s behavior in school through daily or weekly communication through the planner, emails, phone calls, or face-to-face conferences. Grade level administrators support teachers and other staff members in modeling, supervising, and correcting student behavior. At the teacher’s discretion, level II offenses may be referred to an administrator. 

All level III and level IV offenses will be referred to an administrator. Students with a level III referral may receive a P or U in conduct on the progress report following the incident for which the student was referred. Administrators will contact parents when student is referred to the office by a teacher or staff member. Students with 3-level III offenses or conduct below S (For K students- a score of 1 in Social Development any time after Cycle 1) in a grading cycle will be placed on probation and considered for non-renewal of magnet transfer for the following school year.

The Houston ISD Code of Student Conduct can also be found on the HISD portal. 

Dismissal Safety Protocols

Please check out our procedures at:

Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures/Visitor Parking

Grade levels may attend curriculum-related field trips. The teacher sponsor will obtain at least the minimum number of chaperones.  All chaperones will be expected to register with Volunteers in Public Schools and participate in the volunteer criminal history background check.  Volunteers must clear the background check before they can begin volunteer work. Only parents that are VIPS registered and approved for the school year may accompany their child as a chaperone on a grade level school field trip. Teachers, School Staff, VIPS-approved parents, and grade-level enrolled students may attend school field trips. 

Food delivery by services such as UBEREats, Doordash, GrubHub, other delivery services or restuarant-based delivery services for students is prohibited.  Parents/Guardians may bring food for their student only.  Only adults listed in PowerSchool for that student may bring food.  Any food deliveries for students will be declined/sent back.

All students in Kindergarten and Grade 5 are tested for GT identification in a Universal Testing conducted in the current school year. Students identified as GT in the universal testing qualify for placement in a Vanguard class for the following school year.   Results of testing are sent out to parents in late spring of current school year.  Students in grades 1 thru 4 and 6 thru 8 may test once in a calendar year.  Applications for GT testing are available on the HISD website.  No additional data is required with the application when applying at the current school of enrollment.

The Rice School follows HISD grading policies. Individual grade levels will provide students and parents with detailed information describing how grades are assigned.  In grades K-5 students must maintain an average of 70 or higher in all core and magnet classes.  In grades 6-8 students must maintain an average of 75 or higher in core classes and an 80 average or higher in magnet classes.  Students must also meet promotion standards for their grade level.  Students who do not meet these magnets and/or Rice School guidelines are at risk of being placed on probation and facing non-renewal at the end of the school year.

If you are bringing a lunch to your child, please drop it off by the beginning of your child’s lunch time.  Due to limited seating in the cafeteria, parents are not allowed in the cafeteria.  Students are not allowed to have parties at lunch for any reason.  Parents need to make arrangements with their child’s teacher prior to bringing treats to celebrate their child’s birthday in the classroom. It's crucial to be mindful of children with food allergies in your child's classroom. Please sign in at attendance window when dropping off their lunch and/or birthday celebration food.

Any parent going past the Attendance Office/Main Office must be VIPS-Approved for the current schoolyear.

Students who become ill at school are sent to the clinic with a pass from the teacher. The nurse is able to administer only medications for which parents have provided physician orders giving the nurse permission to administer.  See the nurse to provide required documentation for medication that your child needs to take at school. Students with fever, vomiting, or a contagious condition will be sent home. Parents will always be notified in the case of serious illness or injury. For other circumstances, parents will receive notification of visit to the clinic in the form of a note from the nurse.

Nurse's Corner

Students are strongly encouraged to leave all personal property such as toys, balls, electronic devices, and large sums of money at home.  The school is not responsible for lost or stolen personal property that is brought to school by a student.  If personal property is brought to school, it must be kept in the student’s backpack or locker for the entire instructional day.  The classroom teacher or administrator will collect such items from a student who uses them in school.

Students should know how they are getting home before they get to school every day. Changes in Transportation must be communicated to the teacher 24 hours in advance through email, note, or planner. In the case of extenuating circumstances only, same day changes from bus, car, or extended day should only be made through the Main Office before 2:00 PM (713-349-1800). Excessive same day transportation changes for a student will result in parent/administrator conference to establish a more consistent method of transportation for the safety of the student. In the case of miscommunication regarding a student’s mode of transportation for a given day, every effort will be made to contact the parent.  When the school is not able to get in touch with a parent or guardian, the student will remain at school for the parent to pick up.  It is important that contact information be kept up to date. Permanent changes from car to bus or change in route # must be made through the magnet coordinator at the school.

1. Buses:  Students are expected to obey appropriate safety and conduct rules to remain eligible for transportation services. Bus rules can be found in The Rice School Bus Riders Agreement that is part of this planner.  Other Helpful Bus information: Students should learn their route# and stop name. Students should have their route #, stop name, and parent/guardian contact information on a backpack tag or school planner in their backpack. Majority of the buses leave Rice by 4:05 PM.  Once students have boarded, they must not get off the bus. Extenuating circumstances will be handled by the magnet coordinator or other administrator. When making inquiries to the school or motor pool about the status of a student’s bus, be ready to provide the student’s route # and stop name.

Contact:  HISD Customer Care 713-556-9400

2. Carpool: Students can be dropped off or picked up in designated areas only.  Cell phone use in the carpool lanes is prohibited.

Drop Off & Pick Up Procedures

School Times & Bell Schedule