Understanding Ohio’s Updated Attendance Law

Ohio’s updated attendance law places greater emphasis on preventing chronic absenteeism and helping schools and families address attendance concerns before missed instructional time begins affecting student learning.

Chronic absenteeism focuses on all time missed from school whether the absence is excused or unexcused. A student is considered chronically absent after missing at least 10% of the school year’s required instructional hours. Schools are required to contact families when a student has missed 5% of required instructional hours for any reason, allowing time to identify barriers and provide support before the student becomes chronically absent.

This focus recognizes that instructional time is valuable regardless of why it is missed. Illnesses, appointments and other necessary absences may be excused, but the student has still missed opportunities to learn, connect and participate in the school community.

The distinction between excused and unexcused absences applies to habitual truancy, which is based only on unexcused absences. A student is considered habitually truant after missing 30 consecutive hours, 42 hours in one school month or 72 hours in one school year without a legitimate excuse.

At Ross Local Schools, our goal is to communicate with families early, understand the circumstances affecting attendance and work together to help students remain present, connected and ready to learn.

Learn more through the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Attendance Law FAQs.