A new resource aids schools and courts on how to resolve issues with student attendance.

A new resource aids schools and courts on how to resolve issues with student attendance.

As the 2023-24 school year is getting underway, education and court leaders have a new resource to help students and families overcome problems with school attendance and school participation.

The Supreme Court of Ohio and the Ohio Department of Education are offering a guide titled “Developing an Effective School Attendance Program.” The booklet details how schools, courts, and community partners can work collaboratively on issues that prevent a child from being in school. Housing instability, unreliable transportation, and a lack of clothing or school supplies can impact student attendance. Some students may also deal with physical or mental health matters.

“Attendance and engagement are key to success in school. Working together, schools, families, and communities can encourage and support students to attend school daily by focusing on prevention and early intervention,” said Dr. Chris Woolard, the Department of Education’s interim superintendent of public instruction. “This toolkit highlights the many promising practices implemented by schools, districts, and county juvenile courts across the state that demonstrate effective ways for communities to remove barriers so students can attend school.”

A student is truant by Ohio law if they meet or exceed one of three markers of unexcused absences – 30 consecutive hours, 42 hours in a month, or 72 hours for the school year. When any of those occur, school officials develop an absence intervention plan to hold a student and their parent or guardian accountable. The student then has 60 days to make progress, or the school can file a truancy complaint with the local juvenile court.

To improve outcomes for each child, the guide lists how and when schools and courts can intervene to remedy attendance issues. The recommendations include ways to bring in community partners and get support before the attendance problem reaches truancy. An example is back-to-school events where schools connect parents with community partners who can aid with housing assistance, food insecurity, and counseling. Courts can be a part of those events and use working relationships they have with community agencies to provide more resources to students and families.

The Developing an Effective School Attendance Program is available on the Supreme Court website.