Attendance
At Forest Hills School District, we know that regular school attendance is one of the most important factors in a student's academic success, social development and overall well-being. Students who attend school consistently are more likely to achieve academic success, remain engaged in learning and graduate prepared for future opportunities.
Regular school attendance is not only important for student success—it is also required by Ohio law. Ohio's attendance laws are designed to ensure that students receive the full benefit of their educational opportunities while providing schools and families with tools and supports to address attendance concerns before they become significant barriers to learning.
To support student success, Forest Hills School District is updating its attendance procedures to align with changes in Ohio law, including House Bill 410 (HB 410) and the recently enacted House Bill 96 (HB 96). These changes will become effective August 1, 2026, and will apply beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.
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Attendance Policy and Ohio Attendance Laws
HB 410 changed how schools monitor and respond to student absences. Under this law, schools may not suspend or expel students solely for excessive absences or habitual truancy. Instead, schools are required to implement supportive interventions designed to improve attendance. These interventions may include parent notification letters, attendance conferences and the development of Absence Intervention Plans for students who exceed attendance thresholds established by Ohio law.
The goal of HB 410 was to ensure that schools work collaboratively with students and families to address attendance concerns and remove barriers that may be preventing regular school attendance.
HB 96 builds upon this framework by changing how student absences are counted and monitored. The most significant shift under the new law is the state's focus on Chronic Absenteeism, which is measured by the total amount of instructional time a student misses, regardless of the reason for the absence.
While these changes are intended to improve student attendance and academic outcomes, families may notice an increase in attendance-related communications from the district. In many cases, these notifications are required by Ohio law and may occur even when absences are excused.
What Is Changing Under HB 410 and HB 96?
Historically, schools have tracked certain types of absences separately, particularly medical absences. Under Ohio's updated attendance law, the focus shifts to Chronic Absenteeism, which measures the total amount of instructional time a student misses, regardless of the reason for the absence.
What Do These Changes Mean for Families?
All time missed from school—including excused, medical and unexcused absences—will count toward a student's total instructional hours missed during the school year.
This change does not mean that all absences are treated the same. Schools will continue to distinguish between excused and unexcused absences and will continue to excuse absences that meet district and state requirements. However, all missed instructional time will be included when calculating chronic absenteeism.
Understanding the Difference: Chronic Absenteeism vs. Habitual Truancy
Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism includes all absences, regardless of whether they are excused, medical or unexcused. A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year's instructional hours.
The purpose of tracking chronic absenteeism is to identify students who may need additional support to maintain consistent attendance and academic success.
Habitual Truancy
Habitual truancy applies only to unexcused absences and remains defined under Ohio law.
Students who accumulate excessive unexcused absences may be identified as habitually truant and required to participate in an Absence Intervention Plan. In some circumstances, failure to participate in the intervention process or follow the requirements of the plan may result in a referral to Juvenile Court as required by Ohio law.
Examples of Excused Absences vs. Unexcused Absences
Excused Absences
Forest Hills School District recognizes that there are legitimate reasons students may need to miss school. The following are examples of absences that may be considered excused when appropriately reported and documented, when applicable:
- Personal illness or injury
- Illness in the family requiring the student's presence
- Quarantine of the home
- Death in the family
- Work at home necessitated by the absence or incapacity of a parent or guardian
- Observation or celebration of a religious holiday
- Out-of-state travel (up to 24 hours) for a district-approved extracurricular activity
- Medical or dental appointments
- Medically necessary leave for a pregnant student
- Service as a precinct election officer at a primary, special, or general election with principal approval (student must be at least 18 years old)
- Family vacation days with prior notification and approval
- Other circumstances reviewed and approved by the Superintendent or designee
Unexcused Absences
The following are examples of absences that are generally considered unexcused:
- Oversleeping
- Missing the bus
- Running late
- Car trouble
- Student refusal to attend school
- Family vacations that exceed approved limits or occur without prior notification
- Other absences that do not meet the district's criteria for an excused absence
What Families Should Know
Even though the district continues to distinguish between excused and unexcused absences, Ohio's updated attendance law now requires schools to monitor all instructional time missed when determining chronic absenteeism.
For example:
- A student who misses school for multiple medical appointments may have all absences excused; however, those hours still count toward chronic absenteeism calculations.
- A student who misses several days due to illness may have all absences excused; however, those hours still count toward chronic absenteeism calculations.
- A student who misses school due to a family vacation that has been approved by the school may have those absences excused; however, those hours still count toward chronic absenteeism calculations.
The distinction remains important because Habitual Truancy is still based on unexcused absences, while Chronic Absenteeism includes all absences, regardless of reason.
Our goal is not to penalize families for legitimate absences, but rather to ensure students receive the maximum benefit from classroom instruction and to provide support when attendance patterns begin to impact student success.
How Forest Hills Supports Attendance
To support academic success for all students, Forest Hills School District will partner with students and families to identify and reduce barriers to regular school attendance. The district utilizes a continuum of strategies to reduce student absences, including but not limited to:
- Notification of student absences to parents or guardians
- Attendance monitoring and review
- Development and implementation of Absence Intervention Plans
- Counseling and student support services
- Parent education and parenting programs
- Mediation and collaborative problem-solving
- Intervention programs available through juvenile authorities
- Referrals for truancy when required by Ohio law
- Connections to school and community resources
Habitual Truancy Notifications
When a student meets Ohio's criteria for habitual truancy, parents or guardians will receive a notification letter explaining the attendance concern and the requirement to participate in an Absence Intervention Plan meeting.
The purpose of this process is to identify barriers to attendance and work collaboratively to improve school attendance. Parents or guardians will be contacted by district administration to schedule an intervention meeting.
Failure to participate in the development of an Absence Intervention Plan or to carry out responsibilities identified in the plan may result in a referral to Juvenile Court for truancy, as required by Ohio law.
Questions?
We encourage families to monitor their student's attendance throughout the school year and communicate with their child's school whenever attendance concerns arise.
If you have questions regarding your student's attendance record, please contact your child's school building.
For questions regarding habitual truancy, absence intervention plans or district attendance procedures, please contact Ali Moore, Director of Student Services.
