08/26/2026
📚💙 PAR Families: Understanding Ohio’s Attendance Changes 💙📚
We know there have been a lot of questions and concerns surrounding Ohio’s attendance requirements, and we want our families to understand what these changes actually mean. 🏫
First, excused absences have always counted toward chronic absenteeism in Ohio. Chronic absenteeism means missing 10% or more of instructional time for any reason, including excused and medically excused absences. 📅
What’s important about Ohio’s updated approach is the focus on being proactive and supportive, not punitive. 🤝💙
At PAR, our goal is to work with our families. When attendance becomes a concern, we want to communicate early, understand what may be creating barriers to attendance, and work together to provide appropriate supports. 💬🤝
This is especially important for students experiencing chronic health conditions or other circumstances that may affect their ability to attend school consistently. Every family’s situation is different, and communication is key. ❤️
Also, chronic absenteeism does NOT mean truancy. Habitual truancy is based on unexcused absences. 📌
We encourage our families to learn more about Ohio’s attendance requirements and the supports available to students. 📖
At PAR, we are partners with our families. 💙🤝 Our goal is to keep students connected to school, address concerns early, and work together to help every student be successful! 🌟📚
🔗 Learn more from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce:
After reviewing the Attendance Dashboard, schools and districts can use the tools and resources below as a starting point for turning data insights into meaningful, actionable strategies to improve student attendance.
