Set your district's default absence reason
This short setup helps TalkingPoints tell which absences still need a reason from a family. It only takes a few minutes, and you can change it any time.
Here's why it matters: When a student misses school, your Student Information System (SIS) fills in the "absence reason" field. If no one has given a reason yet, the SIS often puts in a placeholder word, like "Unknown" or "Not Reported." Some systems just leave it blank.
TalkingPoints needs to know which word your SIS uses. That way, we can spot absences that are unexcused and still missing a reason. This affects two things your schools rely on:
Automated absence messages go to the right families.
Attendance Trends charts show the right numbers.
❗ Important: This is not where you list excused absence reasons (like "Sick" or "Doctor"). Only add the word your SIS uses when no reason has been given yet.
Before you start
You can use this setting if both of these are true:
At least one school in your district has the Attendance Plus package.
You can see the Settings page in the TalkingPoints district product.
It also helps to have your SIS open. You'll want to check what shows up in the absence reason field when a family hasn't given a reason yet. If you're not sure, your SIS admin or tech lead can help.
How to set your default absence reason
To start, every school uses empty (also called "Null") as the default. That means a blank reason field counts as "unexcused, no reason given." If your SIS leaves the field blank, you don't need to change anything.
If your SIS uses a word instead, follow these steps:
Log in to the TalkingPoints district product.
Go to Settings, then select the Attendance tab.
Find the unexcused absence reasons section and select Edit.
In the Unexcused absence reasons window, type the word your SIS uses. Type it exactly as it appears in your SIS.
Choose which schools this word applies to. You can pick all schools or just some.
Need more than one word? Select the option to add another reason. This helps if different schools use different SIS words.
Save your changes. If you picked only some schools, you'll see the full list on the confirmation screen. Check it over before you finish.
That's it! You can come back and make changes any time.
Good to know
You need at least one reason. If you remove them all, TalkingPoints will go back to the default (empty).
You might see a red banner. If your district hasn't set this up yet, a red banner shows when you log in. You can close it by selecting the x. It goes away for good once anyone in your district updates this setting.
You can edit it any time. If your SIS changes, just come back and update the word.
Questions you might have
I don't see the Attendance tab. Why?
This tab only shows if at least one of your schools has Attendance Plus, and if you have access to Settings. If you think you should see it, reach out to us and we'll take a look.
Should I add excused reasons here, like "Sick"?
No. Only add the word your SIS uses when no reason has been given yet. Adding excused reasons here could cause families to get messages they don't need.
Can different schools use different words?
Yes. Add a reason for each word, and choose which schools each one applies to.
How do I know which word my SIS uses?
Open a recent absence in your SIS where the family hasn't given a reason. Look at what's in the absence reason field. If it's blank, you're all set with the default.
Need a hand?
We're happy to help! Contact the TalkingPoints Support team by reaching out to [support@talkingpts.org] and we'll walk through it with you.