Perfect attendance awards and COVID-19

TYLER — Texas is one of a handful of states that still bases public school funding on student attendance. Many districts incentivize students to attend when they are not up to it, whether physically or mentally. The Northeast Texas Public Health District’s George Roberts told KTBB News, “I continue to encourage people, number one, to stay home when you are sick. So, if a kid is sick, whether it’s a pandemic or not, they shouldn’t be going to school…” Roberts was asked if he thought that awards for perfect attendance would be going away post COVID-19, “That’s a reasonable question. My guess is that they still have some type of perfect because you want to reward people who stay healthy.” Texas HB 1246 would fund Texas schools based on enrollment and not attendance.