Attendance- UPDATED Ohio Law

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Ohio has updated school attendance laws for the 2026–2027 school year. Now public schools are required to track all missed time (including excused sick days and doctor visits) in the state's efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism. Please know that Talawanda School District already has in place a robust student attendance tracking program. The district will continue to utilize this program along with the attendance call alerts for families, used when a parent fails to call in their child's absence.

Read the full official details on the Attendance Law FAQs - Ohio Department of Education.

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

All absences count: Excused absences, unexcused absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals all add up.

The 10% rule: A student is chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the required school hours in a year for any reason.

Earlier School Notifications

The 5% trigger: Schools must contact parents when a student misses 5% of instructional hours (about 7.5 to 8.5 school days). Talawanda has communicated student absence concerns with parents for many years now.

Early support: The goal is to talk with families early to find solutions before too much class time is lost.

What is Habitual Truancy?

Unexcused only: Truancy rules still apply only to unexcused absences.

The limits: A student is truant after missing 30 consecutive unexcused hours, 42 hours in a month, or 72 hours in a year.

Court action: Schools file a court complaint only if the student does not make progress on attendance

Parents who have specific questions should call their child's school, and it's always important to share information with your child's school if a circumstance arises that will result in absences from school.