Help each of our students be an “Attendance HERO – Here, Every Day, Ready, and On Time.” Establishing good attendance habits in elementary school helps children throughout their schooling and improves the chances that they will read on grade level. Encouraging good attendance in middle school and high school helps students stay on track in each of their classes and increases the chances they will graduate from high school.
Please encourage our families to reach out to their school’s Student Support Team (SST) if they are facing any issues related to attendance or need community referral resources. Each school’s SST members include a school nurse, school counselor, school social worker and school psychologist.
Give your students and their families these suggestions from Attendance Works, a nonprofit focused on school attendance:
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up, such as calling on a family member, neighbor or another parent.
- Avoid medical appointments, if possible, and trips at times that school is in session.
- Keep in mind that complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to help your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
- If your child must stay home due to illness, notify the school and ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.
Here are family resources from Attendance Works:
- For Elementary: Build the Habit of Good Attendance Early – English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
- For Middle and High School: Keep Your Child On Track – English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
- Video: Bringing Attendance Home – English | Spanish
Equity for All begins with positive attendance habits that open the door to the many opportunities available to students in our schools. When students do not come to school, they miss out on instruction as well as on school meals, extracurricular activities and development of their social skills with classmates and friends. ACPS wants all students to have every opportunity to succeed. As we all know, education opens doors to a brighter future.