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The Hermiston School District wants to partner with parents and guardians in a renewed emphasis on student attendance.
The state of Oregon has an expectation that students attend school at least 90 percent of the school calendar. In an effort to support this expectation, the Hermiston School District is working with families to spread the word on the importance of student attendance. As an example, according to a recent study in California, children who were chronically absent in kindergarten through second grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of third grade.
It is highly recommended that parents/guardians start the routine of regular attendance at an early age, in order to build a habit that students will carry throughout life into college and a career. Parents can help by emphasizing the importance of school attendance. The following recommendations for parents/guardians come from www.attendanceworks.org:
- Establish and stick to the basic routines (going to bed early, waking up on time, etc.) that will help your child develop the habit of on-time attendance.
- Talk to your child about why going to school every day is critical and important, unless they are sick. If your child seems reluctant to go to school, find out why and work with the teacher, administrator or after-school provider to get them excited about going to school.
- Come up with back up plans for who to turn to (another family member, a neighbor or fellow parents) to help you get your child to school if something comes up (e.g. another child gets sick, your car breaks down, etc.).
- Reach out for help if you are experiencing tough times (e.g. transportation, unstable housing, loss of a job, health problems) that make it difficult to get your child to school. Other parents, your child’s teacher, principal, social worker, school nurse, afterschool providers or community agencies can help you problem solve or connect you to a needed resource.
- If your child is absent, work with the teacher to make sure she or he has an opportunity to learn and make up for the academics missed.
If parents are having difficulty getting a child to school, they are encouraged to contact the school counselor who can assist and/or access additional supports and resources to help the student succeed.
To help the school district properly track absences, parents are asked to call the school office any time their child is absent. Student absences are “excused” only in the case of illness, medical appointments, and family emergencies (proof may be required for any of these cases).
