Reporting an Absence

How do I report my child absent?

Contact your child's building attendance line — see your school's page for the number — as early as possible. Attendance can only be reported by a parent or guardian, regardless of the student's age.

When you call, please provide:

• Your name and relationship to the student
• The student's name and grade
• The reason for the absence

An absence reported without a reason will be coded as unexcused. For your building's specific attendance line number and note requirements, visit your child's school page.

What if I forgot to give the specific reason for my child's absence?

Board policy requires that the reason for an absence be reported within 120 minutes after the start of the school day. If you weren't able to provide the specific reason right away, you have up to 2 school days from the date of the absence to report the reason or provide supporting documentation.

This 2-school-day window applies only to supplying the reason — It is separate from, and does not shorten, the 120-minute notification requirement. If a reason still isn't provided within the 2-school-day window, the absence will be recorded as unexcused. The Principal or designee may accept information after this window when circumstances warrant.

Can absences be reported in advance?

Yes. If you already know your child will be out — for a scheduled medical appointment, for example — you can let the school know ahead of time. The 120-minute rule is a deadline, not the earliest point you're allowed to call, so reporting early satisfies the requirement.

Why Attendance Matters

Why is attendance important?

Showing up matters more than most families realize — and it adds up faster than you'd think. According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, many families assume an absence is only a problem if it's unexcused, and don't always realize how quickly excused and unexcused days combine: missing just 2 days a month is enough to reach the state's definition of chronic absenteeism.

National research compiled by Attendance Works, a nonprofit focused on school attendance, has found that students who miss 10% of kindergarten and first grade tend to score well below their consistently-attending peers on 3rd-grade reading tests — and reading proficiently by 3rd grade is one of the strongest known predictors of graduating high school on time.

Sources: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, Ohio's Attendance Guide (education.ohio.gov); Attendance Works (attendanceworks.org).

What is chronic absenteeism?

A student is considered "chronically absent" once they've missed at least 10% of the required hours in the school year — which adds up to roughly 2 days a month. It doesn't take many missed days to reach that mark, which is why Oak Hills tracks attendance closely and reaches out early with support, not punishment, when a student is trending in that direction.

When will the district reach out to me about my child's attendance?

Oak Hills uses a tiered, supportive approach based on total hours missed, counting both excused and unexcused absences:

• 3.5% of the school year missed: You'll receive a written communication to help keep you aware of your child's current attendance, counting both excused and unexcused absences. This isn't a warning — it's a proactive check-in meant to open the door for collaboration between home and school early on.
• 5% of the school year missed: You'll receive communication, facilitated by the building Attendance Intervention Team, to begin two-way outreach and collaboration between home and school, if needed.
• 10% of the school year missed (chronically absent): Your child's building Absence Intervention Team (AIT) — which may include building administration, a counselor, social worker, school psychologist, and community partners — will work directly with your family to identify root causes, provide additional supports, and, if needed, may initiate an Attendance Intervention Plan.
• 20% of the school year missed: The AIT will initiate an Attendance Intervention Plan, if one has not yet been created, to help support your student in coming to school by working with you to identify supports to reduce attendance barriers.
• Habitual Truancy: Unlike the tiers above, this measure counts only unexcused absences. State law defines a student as habitually truant if they've missed school without a legitimate excuse for 30+ consecutive hours, 42+ hours in a month, or 72+ hours in a school year. If a family isn't making progress despite the District's support, the attendance officer may file a complaint in juvenile court — this is pursued only as a last resort, when support hasn't led to improvement.

Students are never suspended, expelled, or otherwise excluded from school because of absences.

Excused Absences & Doctor's Notes

What counts as an excused absence?

Students may receive an excused absence for reasons permitted by Ohio law and Oak Hills Board Policy 5200. These include:

• Personal illness or injury
• Health care appointment
• Illness in the family
• Quarantine of the home
• Death in the family
• Necessary work at home due to a parent/guardian's absence or incapacity
• Attendance at a driver's education course
• Religious Expression Days (see below)
• Out-of-state travel for a District-approved enrichment or extracurricular activity
• Other good cause approved by the Superintendent
• Medically necessary leave for a pregnant student
• Service as a precinct election officer
• Professional appointments during the school day
• College or military visitation (see below)
• Foster care placement or related court proceedings
• Homelessness

An absence must fall into one of these categories, and be reported within the required timeframe, to be recorded as excused. Board Policy 5200 provides further details and criteria for these excusals.

When is a doctor's note required?

A doctor's note isn't automatically required for every sick day. The Principal may request one at any time, based on the individual circumstances of a student's absences — for example, a pattern of frequent illness, absences that recur near weekends or breaks, or absences that don't match a student's overall attendance record. A doctor's note may also be built into a student's individualized attendance support plan (AIP).

Vacations During the School Year

What do I need to know about taking my child on vacation during the school year?

We know families sometimes need or want to travel together during the school year. Contact your child's Principal at least 5 school days before you leave, and provide your travel dates, confirmation that your student will be traveling with their own parent/guardian or another family relative, and your destination and purpose.

The Principal will review the request to determine if the requested days will be authorized as an unexcused absence, and will discuss with you the impact those days may have on your child's overall chronic absenteeism rate. If approved as "authorized," the District won't pursue a truancy complaint based on that absence alone — but it's important to know that an authorized vacation absence is still recorded as unexcused. The hours still count toward the parent notification and chronically absent thresholds, the same as any other unexcused absence.

Religious Expression Days

Religious Expression Days

Pursuant to Ohio Revised Code 3320.04, students may take up to three religious expression days each school year to observe their faith. To use this option, a parent or guardian must submit written notice to the school naming the specific day(s) the student will be absent. This notice is due within 14 school days of the start of the school year (or within 14 days of a student's first day if they enroll later in the year).

Here's what families can expect on an approved religious expression day:

• No penalty for the absence. Students will not face academic penalties for the absence, and the school will work with them to reschedule any exams or assignments they miss.
• No impact on extracurricular eligibility. Students may still participate in sports, practices, or other extracurricular activities that day.
• No effect on parental notification for excessive absences. These days are not counted toward the absence-hour threshold that triggers notification letters under ORC 3321.191(C).

No inclusion or exclusion of a religious holiday or festival on the list provided by the State Superintendent shall preclude a student from full and reasonable accommodations for any sincerely held religious beliefs and practices for reasons of faith or religious or spiritual belief system. For questions regarding this policy, please contact your child's building Principal.

Non-exhaustive List of Major Religious Holidays (Ohio Dept. of Education and Workforce)

Religious Expression Day Notification Form

For individual buildings attendance details, visit their school web pages at ohlsd.us

College & Military Visits

How do college and military visits work?

• College visits: Provide documentation — such as an email or letter from the college, or admissions registration confirmation.
• Military visits: Provide documentation — such as confirmation from a military recruiting office or entrance processing station.