Research has shown that missing too much school has long-term negative effects on students, such as lower achievement and graduation rates. In December 2016, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 410 to encourage and support a preventative approach to excessive absences and truancy.
The key elements of our Absence Policy based on the passage of this bill include:
- Absence is tracked in hours rather than days, this means that being tardy or early dismissal contributes to “hours absent”.
- The hours accumulate throughout the entire year, not only for a grade period or semester.
- When a student has excessive absences, parents will be notified within seven days and the student will follow an absence intervention plan.
Definition of truancy and excessive absences:
- Definition of “habitual truant" is:
a) Absent 30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse
b) Absent 42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse
c) Absent 72 or more hours in a school year without a legitimate excuse - Includes “excessive absences”:
a) Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without a legitimate excuse
b) Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without a legitimate excuse
Full details can be found on the Ohio Department of Education Website.