September is 'Attendance Awareness Month'

Gov. Tina Kotek has declared September 2024 'Attendance Awareness Month'. 

“I am mission-focused on finding ways to improve educational outcomes for Oregon students, which means finding the cracks in our system that students may fall through,” Governor Kotek said. “We can’t provide quality education unless we make sure we get the kids to school. When a child is chronically absent, not only do they miss out on the daily learning they need to succeed, but schools aren’t able to provide services, support, or intervention.”

According to the Oregon Department of Education, attendance is directly linked to a student's success in school. In Oregon, if a student misses 10% of the school year—about 2 days each month—they are considered chronically absent.

“We know that regular attendance is the first step in a successful academic journey," Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Todd Hamilton says. "At Springfield Public Schools, we offer support for each student and family’s needs to remove barriers in order to to encourage regular participation in school.”

Do you need help increasing your student's attendance? Our schools are here to help! Contact your school's Family Resource Center Educational Assistant for resources and tips. Read on for more:

Families and the community are encouraged to take steps to support consistent student attendance. 

• Children with good attendance are more likely to be successful in school.
• Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of third grade (which is an important benchmark).

Overall, attending school and arriving on time each day make a significant difference in your student's future. 

• Students who are absent miss out on key instruction time and have a harder time making up assignments and tests.
• Being late means that your student starts the day behind.
• Both scenarios can mean more work for teachers, who may have to repeat instructions or make special accommodations for test retakes, etc.
• This can also take away from instruction time for the students who arrived on time.  

The State of Oregon asks schools to aim for a 95% or higher attendance rate every day.  Unexcused absences will count against that rate and will prompt contact from the school when they start to add up. 

Because it's so important, we are asking all families to help us make sure your students are in school as much as they possibly can be. 

• Of course, we know illness happens, and we don't want students in school who are seriously ill.
• Families are asked to please call the school's attendance secretary to alert the school of an excused absence. This can be done up to three days after the day in question

If your student has unexcused absences, your school will contact you:

• Attendance calls: The attendance system will make automated calls regarding all students with unexcused absences. 
• Letters home: Schools will also be contacting families when their student may be at risk of being chronically absent or tardy. The hope is that this information can help families to understand how these absences or tardies can add up.