In December 2016, the Ohio General Assembly passed House Bill 410 to encourage and support a preventative approach to excessive absences and truancy. Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, several changes take effect.  Schools cannot suspend or expel students for missing too much school.  Districts will amend or adopt policies that outline their interventions and plans for students who miss too much school.

Excessively Absent refers to a child of compulsory school age who is absent from school with or without a legitimate excuse unless the absence is medical excused for the following number of hours:

• 38 or more hours in one school month

• 65 or more hours in one school year

Habitual truant refers to a child of compulsory school age who is absent from school without legitimate excuse for the following number of hours:

• 30 or more consecutive hours or

• 42 or more hours in one school month or

• 72 or more hours in a school year

When a student is excessively absent from school, the following will occur:

• Certify will identify students who have reached the threshold.

• The school will notify the student’s parents in writing within seven days of the triggering absence.

• The Absence Intervention Team will schedule a meeting to create an Absence Intervention Plan, and the school will notify the student’s parents of the date and time of the meeting.

• The student will follow the district’s plan for absence intervention (An Absence Intervention Plan must be entered on the student’s PLP log).

The Primary responsibility of the secretary is to generate the notification and parent invitation letters. The letters should only be completed within Infinite Campus. If generated correctly they will be automatically documented in the student’s Contact Log in Infinite Campus.

Follow the steps below to generate the letters for HB410:

1. Go to Main Menu > Attendance Office > Attendance Communication > Attendance Letters.

2. In the Saved Letters box, click the (+) plus sign next to _Attendance.

3. Click on HB410.1 Parent Notification.

Open

4. Click Preview and Print Letters.

5. UNCHECK THE BOX AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN! DO NOT Generate Letters for all students. ONLY generate letters for students indicated in Certify.

Open

6. Click the checkbox next to the name of the student who needs a letter generated.

7. Click Print.  Users can select the building administrator under ‘Contacted By’.

8. Print and mail the letter. The letters should be mailed out within 24 hours. Do not hold the letters at your building.

9. Repeat these steps to print the HB410.2 Parent Mtg Invitation letter.

There may be times that a letter may need to be reprinted.  This is because a student’s attendance information has changed.  They may have had notes or excuses turned in or they may have accumulated additional absences.

To reset the letter, start by finding the student and clicking the ‘X’ next to their name under the ‘Reset’ heading.  This will allow the letter to be re-printed.

School Districts shall file a complaint in juvenile court on the 61st day after implementation of an absence intervention plan if all of the following apply:

• The student has unexcused absences of 30+ consecutive hours, 42+ hours in one month, or 72+ hours in a school year

• The district has made meaningful attempts to reengage the student through the absence intervention plan or other intervention strategies and alternatives to adjudication

• The student has refused to participate in or failed to make satisfactory progress on the plan, strategies, or alternatives

If the student has absences as noted above, but the absence intervention team determines that the student has made “substantial progress” according to the plan, the school shall not file a complaint in juvenile court.

Parent Notification 

When a student is excessively absent from school, the following will occur:

The school will notify the student’s parents in writing within seven days of the triggering absence;

1. The student will follow the district’s plan for absence intervention; and 

2. The student and family may be referred to community resources. 

[ How to Generate a Parent Notification Letter ] 

[ HB410 Information for Families ]

Absence Intervention Teams

Schools may establish their own absence intervention teams. This team will meet with the student/family to develop a plan to provide personalized early outreach.  Membership of the absence intervention team may vary based on the needs of each student but shall include:

• a district or school representative,

• another district or school representative who knows the student, and

• the child’s parent (or guardian, custodian, etc.), and may include a school psychologist, counselor, social worker, or public agency representative. 

[ How to Create the Attendance Intervention Team ]  

Absence Intervention Plans

Each plan shall vary based on the needs of the student.  All plans shall notify the student of the school district's obligation to file a complaint 61 days after implementation of the plan if the student has refused to participate in or failed to make satisfactory progress on the plan or other alternative to adjudication. 

 [ How to Create an Attendance Intervention Plan ]