Truancy and Intervention

Truancy Definitions and Intervention Procedures

A. The State of Ohio Legislature passed HB 410 which specifically defines attendance in all of Ohio’s public schools.  This new law requires each school district to send a letter when there is an absence with or without a legitimate excuse.

B. If a student is absent without legitimate excuse for thirty (30) or more consecutive hours or forty-two (42) hours in a school month, or seventy-two (72) hours in a school year, the student will be assigned by the Coordinators to an absence intervention team within ten (10) days of the triggering event.  The absence intervention team will be developed during a seven (7) day period, during which the student’s parents will be invited to participate.  If the parent(s) are unresponsive to invitations to participate, within fourteen (14) days of having assembled the team, the team will develop an absence intervention plan without the involvement of the parent(s) and will evaluate whether the failure to respond may require reporting to the local children’s services agency.  Should the parent(s) fail to participate, parents will be notified of the goals of the absence intervention plan within seven (7) days of its development.

C. The absence intervention plan will be student-specific with the goal of reducing or eliminating further absences, and will include a provision that if after sixty (60) days, the student refuses to participate or fails to show satisfactory progress on the plan, the District will file a complaint alleging habitual truancy.  

D. Once a student becomes habitually truant, the school will intervene with the student for a period of sixty (60) days (as noted above). Said intervention may include the participation of an absence intervention team, if required, or referral to an alternative to adjudication through juvenile court.

a. If the student accumulates significant absences or does not make progress during this sixty-day period, truancy charges will be referred to the juvenile prosecutor for court filing. 

b. If the sixty-first day of intervention pursuant to the absence intervention plan occurs during the summer, the District may extend implementation of the plan and delay the filing of a complaint in juvenile court for an additional thirty (30) days after the start of the next school year.  

E. Charges may be brought against the parent or guardian of a truant student for failing to send a child to school or contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor. (R.C. 2919.24 & RC (3321.38)

5 Reasons Why a Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) Can Work:

  1. TIP intervenes early. At-risk students can be identified and monitored, particularly important early in their education. Attendance problems and truancy usually begin in the elementary grades. When these are addressed before they can escalate, behaviors and attitudes toward school can often be changed before they worsen. 

  2. The program promotes attendance. The student is matched with a volunteer mentor who visits them several times a week in school. The mentor monitors the student’s daily attendance, performs in-school tutoring, acts as a positive role model, and helps with goal setting and achieving, communicating with school staff and social workers.

  3. A truancy intervention program promotes student health. Because poor health is often a barrier to attending school, the student is encouraged to engage in healthy behaviors involving personal hygiene to prevent common illnesses.

  4. A TIP reduces barriers to learning. Barriers to learning can include class instruction moving too fast, health problems, or an inability to find help. Students may not receive appropriate support from home or even within the classroom environment. Your school needs to provide a positive environment where the student can feel safe and engaged.  

  5. A truancy intervention program engages students in learning. When the student has a multifaceted support system in place from teachers, administrators, parents, and their surrounding community, they become better engaged.