NEW PHILADELPHIA CITY SCHOOLS
Recording and Monitoring
Student Absences
A LETTER TO PARENTS and GUARDIANS
2018-2019 Dear Parent or Guardian:
Recently, Ohio law on how school districts record and monitor student absences was changed. Attendance will now be tracked in terms of hours, not days. New Philadelphia City Schools has worked to align its policies and procedures to the changes in law and to be in compliance with the recently released guidance information from the Ohio Department of Education.
This brochure contains information about the new attendance procedures that we are required to follow beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.
If you have any questions regarding these changes as they apply to the recording and monitoring of student absences, please contact your building principal.
Sincerely,
Mr. Eric Jurkovic NPHS
330-364-0644
NEW PHILADELPHIA CITY SCHOOLS
FOR ALL ABSENCES, BOTH EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED
A student will be considered to have Excessive Absences if they are absent from school for:
38 hours or more in one school month This is approximately 7 days for an elementary student and 6 days for a middle school or high school student.
65 hours or more in one school year This is approximately 12 days for an elementary student and 10.5 days for a middle school or high school student.
Parents/Guardians will receive a letter from their child's school when one of the above benchmarks are met.
What is an Excused Absence?
Any excused absence requires a note from home stating why the student was not in school. An absence may be excused for the following reasons:
Personal illness
Illness in the immediate family requiring the student to stay home
• Medical, dental, or legal appointments - requires verification fromprovider Death of a relative
Religious holidays
• Other circumstances as determined by the school administration
Examples of Unexcused Absences Employment Oversleeping Missing the bus Car trouble of any kind Running non-emergency errands Shopping
Habitual Truancy
A student is considered to be an habitual truant if he/she has UNEXCUSED ABSENCES that meet any of the following benchmarks:
*30 hours of consecutive unexcused absence This is approximately 5.5 days for an elementary student and 5 days for a middle school or high school student.
*42 hours of unexcused absence in one month This is approximately 7.5 days for an elementary student and 7 days for a middle school or high school student.
*72 hours of unexcused absence in one year This is approximately 13 days for an elementary student and 11.5 days for a middle school or high school student.
If a student reaches the threshold for habitual truant, the District is required to develop and implement an Absence Intervention Plan.
Parents/Guardians will be contacted to participate in the development of the Plan.
If a student fails to participate or make satisfactory progress with the intervention process or if the student continues to miss school, the district is required to make a complaint against the parent/guardian and/or the student with Job & Family Services and/or Juvenile Court.