Henry Clipson | The Chronicle
As students in Ohio begin the new school year, they face a stricter attendance structure leaving less wiggle room for excuses.
Ohio House Bill 96, put into place for 2026 and 2027, states that if a student misses 5% of instructional time, equaling nine days, districts must notify parents. A student who misses 10%, equating to 18 days or more of an 180-day school year, is considered to be chronically absent. Additionally, both excused and unexcused absences count toward chronic absenteeism – days missed are impactful, no matter the reason. This new policy intends to emphasize early family outreach and intervention plans.
Mason High School (MHS) administrators hope that this policy can motivate students to improve attendance, and to further strengthen academic performance. Assistant Principal Ashwin Corattiyil said that the statewide policy was needed for students and that they should view this change as a motivator rather than a strict law.
“There’s a sense that chronic absenteeism is on the rise, needs a more close look and needs to be addressed,” Corattiyil said.
When students hit the nine day mark of absences, their family will receive a note from the school regarding the student’s absenteeism. Corattiyil said that these notifications are only to help students to get back on track.
“You have a scheduled absence intervention plan meeting [with] your family, an administrator and sometimes [your] counselor if needed,” Corattiyil said.
Many MHS teachers give students extra time to make up absent work, meaning teachers have to reach out to students and come up with a plan to keep them on track academically. Chemistry teacher Kevin Baumann, who aims to be flexible with student schedules, said that absences create an increased volume of work, even when helping a single student get back on track.
“Students missing school makes [lessons] difficult to plan,” Baumann said. “If I’m giving a lab and they miss the lab, then I have a very small amount of time before I need to hold them accountable for knowing that content.”
Even for teachers who are highly accommodating, students’ work must still be made up to move forward with their curriculum. While administrators and teachers see the benefit in the new absence policy, some students including sophomore Morgan Shelton said they believe otherwise. Shelton plays soccer for the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), a highly competitive travel soccer league. He said that a large chunk of MHS students play club sports that require multiple days to be missed for their sporting events.
“Nine absences may seem like a lot,” Shelton said. “But when you play for ECNL soccer and are constantly traveling for tournaments, showcases and games, those days add up quickly.”
Other extracurricular activities such as sports and competitions for clubs can also require students to leave school early or miss entire days. Corattiyil said that missing school days can create an increase in stress levels and mental health concerns.
“There typically is some reason [for absences] that’s beyond just academics,” Corattiyil said. “It could be social. It could be emotional. It could be mental health-related.”
Corattiyil said that students miss school for a range of reasons, but students should always take attendance seriously. He said he believes going to school helps with critical thinking, social life and emotional and mental well-being.
MHS administrators keep track of student attendance, and now, with the new bill in place, they have to further log and contact families about their students’ attendance. MHS Attendance Administrative Assistant, Alberta Creech, said she has had to talk to some families about common misconceptions in Ohio House Bill 96, such as next steps after a student receives a note from the school.
“This [system] usually includes sitting down with the parents to build a support framework rather than just issuing immediate punishments,” Creech said.
Creech said that there have already been many concerns about Ohio Bill 96. She said that knowing the truth about what actually happens when a student reaches the chronic absenteeism threshold is deeply important. The goal within MHS attendance disciplinary measures is to create a support system for the student rather than to simply administer a disciplinary action.
Creech also said that in previous years, there was a loophole that allowed students to have more absences without a truancy letter being sent to parents or the student being flagged. This workaround allowed students to miss instructional time under an excused absence. Legislators have noted this workaround and now, all absences are counted equally.
“[Ohio House Bill 96] has created a lot more communication [with parents], which is a good thing,” Creech said. “[Now], we can communicate early and get parents and students on board with some sort of plan to make their future brighter.”
While MHS students have mixed opinions on the new bill, the policy is here to stay for the future, and there are hopes from administrators and state legislators alike that it can help boost the academics of MHS and schools statewide.
“There are [qualities] that we have to train students to understand about life, and we want to make sure people know [the importance of attending school],” Corratiyil said. “I think it’s a good thing for schools to work together with students and families on attendance.”
