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Attendance Services

Education is important and attendance is no small ingredient to a successful experience in school. Our staff works as a team with students, families, and school districts to insure that attendance is kept a high priority. Interventions range from early contact with students showing irregular attendance patterns to legal involvement with parent/guardian(s) regarding truancy issues.

As with all states in the Union, Oregon has laws relating to attendance, Chapter 339 in Oregon Revised Statutes , and it is the responsibility of the Attendance Officer to communicate and enforce the mandatory attendance laws.

Consultation and training are available to school staff on effective strategies and best practices for encouraging regular attendance. We have given verbal presentations both at state and district wide conferences as well as presented at individual school staff meetings. Our officers can work individually with Principals, Attendance Secretaries, Counselors and Teachers.

SERVICES:

• Interventions
  Ranges from early contact with students showing irregular attendance patterns to legal involvement
  with parent/guardian(s) regarding truancy issues
• Resources for School Attendance Staff
  (Referral form and sample letters)
• Attendance Audits
  Provides schools with valuable feedback about their student attendance practices
• Contact Us for Consulting & Training Services
  
  

QUICK FACTS:

• A student may miss school for the following reasons:
  1. Illness, including lice ( 35K)
  2. Family emergency
  3. Pre-arranged absences approved by school administration (including religious holiday or court proceedings)
• A student may NOT miss school for the following reasons:
  1. Just not wanting to go to school
  2. Sleeping in
  3. Illness or lice for an extended period
  4. Babysitting other children
  5. Lack of school supplies, clothes or alarm clocks
  6. To interpret for a non-English speaking person
  7. Family emergency that took place a long time ago
  8. Extended vacation that is not pre-arranged
• The average student misses between 7-10 days in a school year (a school year is approximately 171 days).
• For a student to get a driving permit or license, they must be enrolled in school or be exempt from school. The DMV considers 10 consecutive school days of unexcused absence or 15 school days total of unexcused absences during a single semester withdrawal from the school.
  No school= No driving
• Research has shown that “high school drop outs are 72% more likely to be unemployed…and…earn 27% less than…high school graduates”—U.S. Department of Labor 9/9/2004
• Missing School Really Does Add Up ( 20K)
  
  

Information for the STUDENT!

Top 5 Reasons to stay in school:

1. High school dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who completed four or more years of college.
2. Graduating from high school will determine how well you live for the next 50 years of your life.
3. High school graduates earn $143 more per week than high school dropouts. College graduates earn $336 more per week than high school dropouts.
4. Dropouts are more likely to apply and receive public assistance than graduates of high school.
5. Dropouts comprise a disproportionate percentage of the nation’s prison and death row inmates. 82% of prisoners in America are high school dropouts.
6. Web Site for Students: National Dropout Prevention Center/Network
   
   

Help for the PARENT/GUARDIAN!

Here’s How You Can Improve Your Child’s School Attendance:

• Talk with your child about the importance of attending school regularly.
• Avoid scheduling family trips or doctor appointments during school hours.
• Make sure your child stays healthy by eating nutritious food and getting enough sleep and exercise.
• Discuss with your child what happened at school each day.
• Don’t accept excuses for why your child ‘must’ miss or be late for school.
• Support school rules and consequences for skipping class and being tardy.
• Show your child why education is important. Give specific examples of how education helps people succeed.
• Lead by example. If children see parents taking off work for no real reason, they may expect to be able to do the same thing.
  The Parent Institute @ 2002

Resources for School Attendance Staff

• Referral for Attendance Services Form PDF | Word
  • Instructions: Please make sure to attach the attendance information to the referral form prior to sending to the ESD. Send the information via courier to ESD Attendance.
    
    
• Sample Letters
  • Excessive Unexcused Absences PDF | Word
  • Excessive Tardies PDF | Word