Attendance Matters
The Michigan Compulsory Attendance Law currently states that students must attend school from age six to eighteen years of age.
Missing just one day of school every 2 weeks equals 20 days (4 weeks) per year. Over a 13-year school career, that's almost 1.5 years!
In 2016, the school district adopted an attendance policy as directed by the Midland County Probate Court:
- Excused/unexcused absences ranging from 5 – 7 days may result in a truancy conference at school.
- Excused/Unexcused absences ranging from 8 – 10 days may result in a truancy conference at the probate court.
- Excused/unexcused absences exceeding the 10 day limit may result in a petition filed to the probate court.
- 5 Tardies = 1 Unexcused Absence
- Medical absences (medical documentation required) are not counted in the 10 day limit
- Out-of-school suspensions will be treated as absences and will be counted toward the truancy policy.
Why Does Attendance Matter?
Absences lead to lost instructional time - and that can have consequences for students, even later in life. Here are the facts:
- Missing 10% (about 18 days) of school can make it harder for students to learn to read.
- By 6th grade, being chronically absent is the leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Half of Students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
- Attending school helps kids make friends, feel good about themselves, and achieve their goals!
Regular school attendance is essential in promoting responsibility and success in our programs. With this as our goal, we aim to promote a responsible attendance pattern for our young adults. Our policy, therefore, reflects the premise that all absences, whether excused or unexcused, result in the loss of instructional time. Daily teaching and interaction of students and teachers cannot be duplicated.
What is an Excused Absence?
The following absences will be considered excused if they are confirmed by communication to the school from the student’s Parent:
- the student’s physical or mental illness (verification from a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner is required after 4 consecutive days of absence for illness);
- severe weather
- medical appointments for the student;
- death or serious illness of the student’s family member;
- attendance at a funeral, wedding, or graduation;
- appearance at court or for other legal matters;
- observance of religious holidays of the student’s own faith;
- college planning visits;
- personal or family vacations
What is Truancy?
Truancy is when a student misses school.
Students may be classified as truant by Midland County Probate if they have more than ten absences in a school year that are not medically or school excused. Furthermore, according to Midland County Probate regulations, five tardies will be considered equivalent to one full day's absence when calculating overall attendance.
Medical absences do not count toward the 10-day absence limit for truancy.
Please be advised that the attendance policy stipulates a maximum of 10 absences per semester for a student to qualify for academic credit. Additionally, a student may be deemed truant upon exceeding 10 non-medical absences within the academic year.
Midland County Juvenile Justice Center
The Truancy Program is a collaborative initiative involving the Juvenile Court, the 75th District Court, the Midland County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Community Mental Health for Central Michigan, and public schools in Midland County. The program aims to address truancy through a range of interventions that begin within the schools and progress to court involvement as a last resort.
Truancy is a significant concern for youth in Midland County. It not only hampers educational success but also serves as a pathway to delinquent and criminal behavior. Research shows that chronic absenteeism is the strongest predictor of delinquent behavior.
Community School Model
This initiative is a partnership involving Midland Public Schools, neighboring school districts, the Department of Human Services, the Juvenile Court, and local service providers. Its goal is to promote attendance in elementary schools and to identify and reduce the barriers that families face in helping their children succeed.
The vision of the program "Justice. School. For All." identifies three key objectives:
- To reduce school absenteeism
- Increase graduation rates
- Decrease delinquency across the state
Learn more at the Juvenile Justice Center website
Attendance Lines
- To report an absence please call your building attendance line within 48 hours of the missed hour or day.
- You can also indicate the absence in ParentVue before 9:00 am the day of.
- For more detailed information about attendance, please refer to your student's building handbook.