Attendance

When to Keep Your Child Home from School

In order to maintain the health and safety of everyone in our school district, please review these guidelines for determining when your child should be kept home from school.

Please keep children home if they have the following;

• Nasal secretions (yellow or green in color)
• Persistent cough
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Rashes
• Conjunctivitis (red or runny eyes)

Fever

A Fever is a strong indicator of the body fighting and infection. Children should be kept home if they have a temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher. Children need to be fever FREE for 24 hour (without fever-treating medications) before returning to school.

Vomiting or Diarrhea

Recurrent vomiting or diarrhea often means infection. Children need to be kept at home for at least 24 hours after any episode of vomiting or diarrhea, especially if accompanied by a fever.

Sore throats, especially if your child has swollen glands

During the school year, we see a number of children with strep throat. Not all children will have classic sore throat symptoms. Difficulty swallowing, a sore neck, headache, stomach ache, loss of appetite, swollen or tender neck glands are all signs to watch for in your child. If you notice these symptoms, please contact your health care provider.

Antibiotics

Children who are placed on antibiotics for strep throat or conjunctivitis (pink eye), must be on these medications for more than 24 hours before returning to school to prevent the spread of infection.

Cold or Flu symptoms

Children who are coughing or sneezing are spreading infection and need to be kept home from school. Be especially cautious if your child has a productive cough, or has nasal secretions which are yellow or green in color.

The above symptoms need to be absent for at least 24 hours prior to returning to school.

Parents can log into their PowerSchool Account and click on “Chronic Absenteeism” to view the total absence hours their student has accumulated per month and per year for the current school year.

Did You Know?

A student is chronically absent if he or she misses as few as two days of school a month.

2 DAYS PER MONTH x 9 MONTHS = CHRONIC ABSENCE

WHEN DO ABSENCES BECOME A PROBLEM?

While students sometimes get sick or have medical appointments, missing any amount of school can be harmful to their learning.

• Habitual Truancy = 30 or more consecutive hours OR 42 hours in a month OR 72 or more hours in a year without an excuse

• Chronic Absence = missing 10 percent of the school year with or without an excuse

For additional information please reference The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce page. 

We realize that on occasion situations occur where students will miss school for family vacations or other events. Students will be required to follow the homework responsibilities outlined in the handbook for missing work. It is our expectation that parents avoid interrupting the child’s education program whenever possible as alternative measures cannot replace classroom experiences.

Parents arranging vacations or any other planned absence on regular school days need to complete form 5200 F2 which can be obtained from the Attendance Office or can be found on our district website. This form must be submitted to the Building Secretary and/or Principal at least one (1) day prior to the planned absence. Forms submitted after the planned absence will not be accepted and any time missed will be unexcused. Students with a planned absence are required to make up all work within a period equal to the number of days absent; tests and long-term projects announced prior to the absence will be turned in or taken upon return.

Book - Policy Manual

Section - 5000 Students

Title ATTENDANCE

Code po5200

Status - Active

Adopted
March 21, 1988

Last Revised
February 9, 2026

5200 - ATTENDANCE
The educational program offered by this District is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation.  Absences for any reason, whether excused or unexcused, reduce instructional time and have an adverse impact on student learning. Attendance shall be required of all students enrolled in the schools during the days and hours that the school is in session or during the attendance sessions to which a student has been assigned.

A student in grades 9 through 12 may be considered a full-time equivalent student provided the student is enrolled in at least five (5) units of instruction, as defined by State law, per school year.

In accordance with statute, the Superintendent shall require, from the parent of each student of compulsory school age or from an adult student who has been absent from school or from class for any reason, a written statement of the cause for such absence. The Board of Education reserves the right to verify such statements and to investigate the cause of each single absence or prolonged absence.

The Board considers the following factors to be reasonable excuses for time missed at school:

1. personal illness (a written physician's statement verifying the illness may be required)
    
2. appointment with a health care provider (a written health care provider statement verifying the appointment is required)
    
3. illness in the family necessitating the presence of the child
    
4. quarantine of the home
    
5. death in the family
    
6. necessary work at home due to absence or incapacity of parent(s)/guardian(s)
    
7. attendance at a driver’s education course for up to two (2) hours on no more than four (4) days (limited to a total of eight (8) hours during the school year), provided that the absence does not occur during a core curriculum subject course
    
8. religious expression days, up to three (3) of which may, after approval by the principal in accordance with this policy, permit the student to be absent without any academic penalty
    
9. out-of-state travel (up to a maximum twenty-four (24) hours per school year that the student's school is open for instruction) to participate in a District-approved enrichment or extracurricular activity
   
   Any classroom assignment missed due to the absence shall be completed by the student.
   
   If the student will be absent for twenty-four (24) or more consecutive hours that the student's school is open for instruction, a classroom teacher shall accompany the student during the travel period to provide the student with instructional assistance.
    
10. such good cause as may be acceptable to the Superintendent
     
11. medically necessary leave for a pregnant student in accordance with Policy 5751
     
12. service as a precinct officer at a primary, special or general election in accordance with the program set forth in Policy 5725
     
13. college visitation - The District requires verification of the date and time of the visitation by the college, university, or technical college.

     

14. absences due to a student's placement in foster care or change in foster care placement or any court proceedings related to their foster care status
     

15. absences due to a student being homeless

Attendance need not always be within the school facilities, but a student will be considered to be in attendance if present at any place where school is in session by authority of the Board.

The Board shall consider each student assigned to a program of other guided learning experiences to be in regular attendance for the program provided that the student reports to such staff member the student is assigned for guidance at the place in which the student is conducting study, and regularly demonstrates progress toward the objectives of the course of study.

The Superintendent may excuse a student over fourteen (14) years of age from attendance at school for a future limited period for the purpose of performing essential work directly or exclusively for the student's parents or guardians. Such excuse should not exceed five (5) days and may at the discretion of the Superintendent be renewed for five (5) additional days. At no time, however, shall such excuse cause a student to be absent from school for a period of more than ten (10) consecutive days.

At the discretion of the Superintendent, a student may be excused for a longer period of time than ten (10) days if a child's parent or guardian has recently died or become totally or partially incapacitated and there is no older brother or sister living in the home who is out of school. (The Superintendent may request a certificate of a physician attesting to the physical condition of the parent or guardian.) 

Attendance shall be taken at the beginning of every block/period in buildings with block/period-based scheduling. Absences from a class block/period shall be accounted for to the nearest full hour.

Attendance shall be taken at the commencement of the school day in buildings with non-period-based schedules. Attendance for students arriving late or leaving early must be tracked and recorded to the nearest full hour.

Contacting the Parent/Guardian of an Absent Student
When a parent, guardian, or other person having care of a student has failed to initiate a telephone call or other communication notifying the school or building administration of the student's excused or unexcused absence within 120 minutes after the beginning of the school day, the attendance officer or designee for each school building shall make at least one (1) attempt to contact the parent, guardian, or other person having care of any student who is recorded as absent without legitimate excuse within 120 minutes after the beginning of each school day by a method designated by the Superintendent in accordance with Ohio law (see AG 5200).

A student may have an excused absence for medical reasons, such as personal illness or medical visit, subject to the following rules. A student may have up to ten (10) medically excused absences without a doctor’s note, but with a phone call from a parent/guardian. This policy will be extended beyond ten (10) days if the student or someone in the student’s family is in quarantine due to a recognized pandemic/epidemic (e.g., COVID-19) or experiencing symptoms of the pandemic/epidemic. A medical excuse for personal illness will be accepted in the form of a doctor’s note within five (5) school days of the absence or parent call-in on the day of the absence due to illness or doctor’s visit.

Attendance at a Driver’s Education Course
The District will excuse a high school student from school to attend a driver’s education course that is approved by the Director of Public Safety in accordance with Chapter 4508 of the Revised Code. The student may be absent for up to two (2) hours per day on no more than four (4) days during the school year (limited to a total of eight (8) hours), provided that the absence does not occur during a core curriculum subject course.  The Board deems all graded courses to be core curriculum including, but not limited to, courses that have State-approved learning standards. Days missed do not need to be consecutive.  Students who miss school to attend a driver’s education course are required to complete any missed classroom assignments.

Religious Expression Days
The Principal will approve up to three (3) religious expression days per school year after receiving a written request from the student's parent or guardian. Religious expression days may be used to take holidays for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system or participate in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious denomination, church, or other religious or spiritual organization. Students who are absent on approved religious expression days will not receive any academic penalties and will be provided with academic accommodations with regard to examinations and other academic requirements that are missed.

To receive accommodations for religious expression days, parents or guardians must submit written requests to the Principal within fourteen (14) days after the start of the school year or fourteen (14) days after a student is enrolled in the District. The requests must specify the religious expression day(s) to be approved. The Principal will approve the days without inquiring into the sincerity of a student's religious or spiritual belief system. However, the Principal may verify the authenticity of a request by contacting the parent or guardian to confirm they signed it. The Principal may deny the request for religious expression days if the parent or guardian indicates that the signature is not authentic. Once the days have been approved, the Principal will ensure that each teacher schedules a time and date for alternative examinations or other academic requirements that conflict with the student's absence. Students may participate in interscholastic athletics or other extracurricular activities on days in which the student is absent for religious expression.

The District has adopted the following procedure for a student, parent, or guardian to notify the District of any grievance with regard to the implementation of this policy. A grievance must be submitted in writing to the Superintendent or his/her designee. The Superintendent or his/her designee will review the grievance and issue a written determination of whether the policy has been violated. The decision of the Superintendent or his/her designee is final and not subject to further appeal.

The District will notify parents and guardians annually about this policy and the procedures that they must follow to request accommodations for religious expression days.

The policy will be placed in a prominent location on the District's website and will include the contact information for an individual who can provide further information about the policy. The District will also publish a non-exhaustive list of major religious holidays, festivals, and religious observations. The list will be provided whenever the policy is posted, printed, or distributed, and will be accompanied by a statement that declares the list is non-exhaustive and may not be used to deny accommodations to a student for a holiday, festival, or observation that is not included in the list. Nothing in this policy, and no inclusion or exclusion of a religious holiday or festival on the list posted by a District, shall preclude a student from full and reasonable accommodations for any sincerely held religious beliefs and practices with regard to all examinations or other academic requirements and absences for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system.

Parent Notification of Chronic Absences
When a student of compulsory school age is absent from school in excess of thirty ( 30) or more hours the District or school shall notify the child's parent or guardian of the child's absences, in writing. Written notice will be sent within seven (7 ) school days after the date of the absence that triggered the notice requirement. At the same time written notice is given, any appropriate intervention strategy listed in this policy may be taken. 

Habitually Truant
A student will be considered habitually truant if the student is of compulsory school age and absent without a legitimate excuse for thirty (30) or more consecutive hours, for forty-two (42) or more hours in one (1) school month, or for seventy-two (72) or more hours in one (1) school year.

Legitimate excuses for the absence of a student who is otherwise habitually truant include but are not limited to:

1. the student was enrolled in another school district;
    
2. the student was excused from attendance in accordance with R.C 3321.04; or
    
3. the student has received an age and schooling certificate.

The District’s attendance officer shall file a complaint in the juvenile court against any student who is habitually truant unless the District or the student’s school determines that the student and the student’s family are making satisfactory progress in improving the student’s attendance at school. If no determination of progress is made, or if the school determines that the student and the student’s family have ceased to continue making progress in improving the student’s attendance, the attendance officer shall proceed to file a complaint in juvenile court against the student. The complaint will allege that the child is unruly for being habitually truant, and the parent, guardian, or other person having care of the child has violated Revised Code 3321.38. 

If a student who is habitually truant violates the order of a juvenile court regarding the student’s prior adjudication as an unruly child for being a habitual truant, the student may further be adjudicated as a delinquent child

Tiered System of More Intensive Interventions and Supports    
The District implements a tiered system of interventions and supports for students to increase attendance. The system is designed to provide resources to students and their families to address the root cause of student absences. More intensive interventions and support are provided to students with greater numbers of absences. 

Intervention Strategies
The term “chronically absent” means that a student has missed at least ten percent (10%) of the minimum number of hours required in the school year. In order to address the attendance practices of students and prevent students from becoming chronically absent, the District will implement one (1) or more of the following intervention strategies:

1. provide counseling to the student
    
2. request or require the student's parent to attend a parental involvement program
    
3. request or require a parent to attend a truancy prevention mediation program
    
4. take appropriate legal action
    
5. assign the student to an alternative school

Students shall not be suspended, expelled, or otherwise prevented from attending school because of the student’s absences.

Absence Intervention Team
The District will establish at least one (1) absence intervention team (“AIT”) District-wide. The AIT will work with students at risk of becoming chronically absent and their families to improve the students’ attendance. The Superintendent will develop administrative guidelines that address AIT membership, criteria for when the AIT will work with students and families, and strategies and resources that may be utilized by the AIT to improve school attendance.

Educational Program  
The Superintendent is authorized to establish an educational program for parents of truant students which is designed to encourage parents to ensure that their children attend school regularly. Any parent who does not complete the program is to be reported to law enforcement authorities for parental education neglect, a fourth class misdemeanor if found guilty.

This policy was developed after consultation with the judge of the juvenile court of Franklin County, with the parents, guardians, or other persons having care of the students attending school in the District, and with appropriate State and local agencies. The policy aligns with District and school improvement plans developed pursuant to State and Federal law.  

Tracking Attendance during Synchronous and Asynchronous Web-Based Instruction
Student attendance in teacher-led remote learning (synchronous web-based instruction) shall be tracked in the same manner as hourly, in-person instruction. Teachers shall determine hourly attendance by evidence of student login and logoff data. Attendance in self-directed remote learning (asynchronous) shall be tracked by evidence of participation, which may include, but is not limited to daily logins to the learning management system, daily interaction with the instructor, and/or assignment completion.

Revised 10/22/90
Reviewed 6/94
Readopted 7/94
Revised and readopted 10/97
Revised and readopted 8/00
Revised 4/26/10
Revised 2/27/12
Revised 7/10/17
Revised 4/23/18
Revised 12/16/19
Revised 8/3/20
Revised 12/13/21
Revised 3/17/25

© Neola 2025

Legal

R.C. 2151.011, 3313.668, 3317.034, 3321.01 et seq., 3321.13(B)(2), 3321.19, 3321.191

R.C. 3321.22, 3321.38, 3323.041

A.C. 3301-35-03, 3301-47-01, 3301-69-02

Ohio law requires that if a student is absent with or without legitimate excuse from school for more than 5% and again 10% of the school year, the school’s attendance officer will notify the child's parent, guardian, or custodian of the child's Chronic absenteeism. If a student’s absences surpass the threshold for a habitual truant, the principal or chief administrator of the school or the superintendent of the school district shall assign the student to a district absence intervention team, which will develop an intervention plan for that student. Every effort will be made to include a parent, guardian or custodian as a member of the student’s absence intervention team. Notice of the plan developed by the student’s absence intervention team will be provided to the student’s parent, guardian or custodian. At no time, however, will students be expelled or suspended out of school due to excessive absences or truancy. All efforts to improve attendance will be noticed and no legal action will be taken against the student and or parent. If there are no efforts of improvement, an official juvenile proceeding will take place at Franklin County Juvenile Court.