Beavercreek City Schools is required to follow the rules and regulations that were enacted in House Bill 410, which began in December 2016. This bill applies a preventative approach to addressing habitual and chronic truancy that has been mandated in the state of Ohio. Below is a summary of the changes to BCS truancy and discipline procedures.

Habitual and Chronic Truancy

It is important for every student in Ohio to attend school every day. Missing too much school has long-term, negative effects on students, such as lower achievement and graduation rates. There are many reasons students miss school, but districts often can directly impact their students' attendance. By using data to identify and support students who may need extra resources and services, districts can target supports to get students to school every day.

To support academic success for all students, the district will partner with students and their families to identify and reduce barriers to regular school attendance. The district will utilize a continuum of strategies to reduce student absence including, but not limited to:

Notification of student absence to the parent or guardian;
Development and implementation of an absence intervention plan, which may include supportive services for students and families;
Counseling; parent education and parenting programs;
Mediation;
Intervention programs available through juvenile authorities;
Referral for truancy, if applicable

EXCUSED ABSENCE (e.g. including but not limited to)

Personal illness or accident
Family Illness necessitating presence of child
Quarantine of home
Death in family
Work at home necessitated by absence or incapacity of parent or guardian
Observation or celebration of holiday
Out of state travel (up to 24 hours) for a district approved extra-curricular activity
Medical or Dental appointments
Medically necessary leave for pregnant student
Service as a precinct officer at a primary, special, or general election with principal approval (must be 18 years old)
Family vacation days (with prior notification)
Others as reviewed and approved by the Superintendent

UNEXCUSED ABSENCE (e.g. including but not limited to)

Overslept
Missed the bus
Running late
Car trouble
Family vacations in excess of 10 days or without prior notification
Student refusal

Medically Excused Absences and HB 410

A medically excused absence occurs any time a student is out of school due to illness or medical visit (physician, dentist, mental health, etc.). A medical excuse for personal illness will be accepted in the form of a doctor’s note within five (5) school days of the absence or parent call-in on the day of the absence due to illness or doctor’s visit. A student may have up to ten (10) medically excused absences without a doctor’s note, but with a phone call from a parent/guardian. The district encourages medical notes to be provided for medical appointments or illness-related absences.

Absence Notification Letter Information

Excessive Absence Letter - provided to parent/guardian as notification that their child has reached one of the following absence thresholds (includes excused and unexcused absences per state law). This letter is informational only.

38 or more hours in one school month
65 or more hours in one school year

Habitual Truancy Letter - provided to parent/guardian as notification that their child has reached one of the following thresholds (includes unexcused absences only):

30 or more consecutive hours without a legitimate excuse
42 or more hours in one school month without a legitimate excuse
72 or more hours in one school year without a legitimate excuse

The purpose of the Habitual Truancy letter is to notify the parent/guardian of the habitual truancy absences and to indicate that an absence intervention plan is required. The parent/guardian will be contacted by district administration to set up an absence intervention meeting. Failure to participate in the creation of the absence intervention plan or carry out responsibilities may result in referral to Juvenile Court for truancy. For questions related to habitual truancy or absence intervention plans, please contact the District’s Attendance Officer, Mrs. Kris Jones at krisheree.jones@gocreek.org

Ten Parent Note Letter - provided to parent/guardian as notification that 10 parent notes have been exhausted for the school year and medical notes will be required for the remainder of the school year in order to excuse absences.

For additional information regarding attendance, please refer to your child’s school building handbook and/or Board Policy 5200.