Attendance Information

Ohio law requires that parents call their school attendance line on the morning of the student absence. If a call is not placed before 9:45 a.m., it may result in an automated call inquiring about your child’s absence. For your convenience, please find the individual school attendance lines: 

Upon return to school, please submit a note indication one of the excused reasons (below) with a parent or guardian signature. Parents are allotted six parent notes per semester to excuse your child’s absence for illness or medical appointments. A note from a physician will be required beginning with the seventh day of absence due to illness or medical appointments. 

We want all our students to achieve their highest potential.  One essential ingredient to accomplish this is your student’s attendance.  Attendance is vital in helping your student have a positive and successful school experience.

Here at Winton Woods City Schools we have instituted the following ways to help you monitor your students’ attendance:

1. Progress Book – Parents can always log on to or interactive program and receive up to date information concerning their students’ attendance.
    
2. One Call – Student who have not reported to school or we have not receive notification from parent for the student absence by 9:45 am will receive a call from our automatic phone system.
    
3. Personal Calls – Students who have reached 6 days of unexcused absence will receive a personal call from their school building staff.
    
4. Attendance Letters- Parents will receive written warning for students who have accumulated 5, 7, or 10 days of unexcused absences.

The premise is simple: Students need to attend school daily to succeed.  But you may be wondering what is considered an excused absence.

EXCUSED ABSENCE

Students will be granted an excused absence for the following:

(1) Personal illness
(2) Illness in the family
(3) Quarantine in the home
(4) Death of a relative
(5) Observance of a religious holiday
(6) Any other reason which has been approved by the school prior to the absence.

TARDINESS                                                                                          

Winton Woods City Schools defines tardiness as arriving late to school or to class without an acceptable reason. You don’t want these to add up, because:

• Every FIVE times a student is tardy is equal to ONE day of unexcused absences; and
• Excessive number of tardies may result in a proof of residency check. Students who are open-enrolled are still expected to be in school every day and on time.
   

EXCESSIVE ABSENCES                                                                       

Please monitor your student’s attendance. Too many unexcused absences & tardiness may lead to a Hamilton County Unofficial & Official Court Charge!

HOUSE Bill 410

With the passage of House Bill 410, school districts across Ohio are required to revise their truancy policy this school year. The intent of this letter is to inform you of revisions to the Winton Woods City Schools attendance policy, as required by the state.

Under the new policy, there are three classifications of truancy:

1. Habitual Truant:
   1. Absent for 30 or more consecutive hours without legitimate excuses (one week of school)
   2. Absent for 42 or more hours in one school month without legitimate excuses (seven days in one month)
   3. Absent 72 or more hours in one school year without legitimate excuses (12 days in one school year)
2. Excessively Absent:
   1. Absent 38 or more hours in one school month with or without legitimate excuses
   2. Absent 65 or more hours in one school year with or without legitimate excuses
3. Chronic Absenteeism:
   1. Absent 92 or more hours in one school year with or without legitimate excuses

Changes to the policy include the removal of "excessive truancy" from zero tolerance policies. Also, suspensions and expulsions will no longer be a discipline step for truancy-related offenses. Instead, school officials must work with the student and parents to develop an action plan with clearly defined steps to improve attendance and avoid a court referral due to absences.

If your child should fall into one of these classifications, you will be notified in writing within seven days of the triggering absence. Also, an absence intervention team must be created for "habitually truant" students to develop a plan for minimizing absenteeism.

In addition, House Bill 410 requires that schools report to the State when a child has been habitually truant, excessively absent, an absence intervention plan has been implemented for a child, or when a child, who has been adjudicated an unruly child for being a habitual truant, violates the court order regarding that adjudication. At this time, the State has not communicated how this data will be used. 

Under this new policy, we cannot reiterate enough that every hour in school counts. We still believe in the importance of your child being present to have the best possible educational experience and will continue to work with our families when personal circumstances make this difficult.

If you would like more about the mandate by Ohio through House Bill 410, a link can be found here.