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September is
Attendance Awareness Month
With the new school year underway across Ohio, it’s more important than
ever that our students be in class every day ready to learn. Missing
too much school has long-term, negative effects on students, such as
lower achievement and graduation rates.
Think about it this way — a student is chronically absent if he or she
misses as few as two days of school a month. September is Attendance
Awareness Month across the country and in Ohio. Our state is taking
significant steps to address chronic absenteeism.
“The old saying goes, ‘If you miss a day, you miss a lot,’ and that
couldn’t be more true,” said Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public
instruction. “With students heading back to class across the state,
there’s no better time to have these important discussions about how we
get our children to class every day ready to learn. Their futures
depend on it.”
There are many reasons students miss school, but districts often can
directly impact their students’ attendance. By using data to identify
and support students who may need extra support and services, districts
can target supports to get students to school every day. Parents can
find strategies for building the habit of good attendance by clicking
here. For specific ways to help middle and high school students stay on
track, click here.
In December 2016, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 410 to
encourage and support a preventative approach to excessive absences and
truancy. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, several changes take
effect. Schools cannot suspend or expel students for missing too much
school. Districts will amend or adopt policies that outline their
interventions and plans for students who miss too much school.
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