Revere board adopts policy on truancy

by Sheldon Ocker

July 21 board of education meeting

After Director of Operations Nikki Campbell clarified various elements of the proposal, the Revere Board of Education approved a revised policy regarding absenteeism to conform with a recent change in state law.

Previously, Revere held serious discussions with parents when a student missed 10% of the school year. If absences rose to 20% or more, more formal action could be taken, including referring the matter to juvenile court.

Terms of the new policy call for parents to receive a Tier 1 letter if a student misses 5% of the school year. A more serious discussion and corrective action would follow if a student misses 10% of their classes (Tier 2).

Campbell explained that although the policy appears to tighten the limits on absenteeism, it gives the district and students more flexibility.

“After day 10 of the school year, the policy will then start to be enforced,” Campbell said. “If you’ve missed 5%, you’ll get your Tier 1 letter. If you’ve missed 10%, you’ll get your Tier 2 letter.”

However, Campbell said parents should not necessarily become alarmed at receiving a Tier 1 letter, which will be more commonplace on inasmuch as the threshold has been lowered from 10% absences to 5%.

“It’s going to be an adjustment because there are going to be a lot more students who fall into Tier 1 letters, for sure,” she said. “But it should reduce the number of Tier 3 [requiring serious action] overall … because we’ll be working with more students.”

The other change concerns excused absences.

Under the previous policy and the old law, an absence for a doctor’s appointment did not count against the percentage of school missed. Now it does, but will not lead to consequences.

The district will not blindly come down on students if they miss time for legitimate reasons. Also, field trips and visits to colleges are considered school functions and will not count against a student.

“If you’ve got a doctor’s note, you are not going to get referred to truancy court,” Campbell said. “But if you’re taking multiple trips … and your child is struggling in school, that’s where we’re going to have a harder conversation.”

How a student is progressing or regressing in the classroom will play a part in how absences are handled.

Revere will hold an informational meeting for parents Sept. 22 to further clarify the policy. A video of the session will be available on the district website.

Other items

• Treasurer Rick Berdine reported that the fiscal year, which ended June 30, closed with a positive financial position of $600,000.
• Three parents spoke on a proposal to add an unofficial student representative to the board of education. One lauded the idea, the other two did not approve.
• Superintendent Dan White announced he would miss both August school board meetings because of a medical procedure and that Berdine will serve in his place.
• The Ohio Gridiron Youth Football Association donated $750 to the Revere Schools – Ben Christman Memorial Scholarship.