New attendance policy for Cannon students

New state guidelines concerning attendance procedures and policy will be implemented for the 2018-2019 school year. Parents and students will need to review student handbooks carefully at the beginning of the school year to understand changes in attendance procedures. Due to changes in state law, students absent 3 days without adequate excuse (unexcused absence) will enter the progressive *Attendance Tier Intervention process.

Each tier provides support to students to help them stay in school. Once a student enters into Tier 3 (10 unexcused days) the student and parent will be required to attend a Truancy Court. Truancy Court, (which is a new resource in the Tier Intervention process) will be held at the Cannon County Courthouse court room.

Judge Susan Melton and other community service providers will work along with the Supervisor of Attendance to address issues with students' attendance and hopefully keep students from returning to the court room. However, if a student continues to miss days after Truancy Court, they will be served to appear in juvenile court.

Remember, attending school has a positive impact on children's academic success-from kindergarten to high school graduation. For context, most students in Tennessee miss six or less days each school year.

Although some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances, students that miss too much school--regardless of the reason--fall behind academically. Absences can add up quickly. Students are less likely to succeed academically if they miss 10% or more of instructional days over the course of the school year (this means missing about two days of school per month or about 18 days per year).

Research shows:

• Tennessee students who are chronically absent in kindergarten are 15 percentage points less likely to reach proficiency in either 3rd grade math or ELA.

• Nationally, four out of five students who miss more than 10% of both kindergarten and first grade are unable to read on grade-level by third grade.

• The problem continues as students get older. Tennessee students who are chronically absent in 9thgrade are 30 percentage points less likely to earn an on-time diploma (62% vs. 92%).

We don't want your child to fall behind in school or get discouraged. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Below are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance.

Attendance Pointers for Parents

• Make sure your children keep a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.

• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Make sure your children go to school every day unless they are truly sick.

• Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor's appointments when school is in session.

• Develop back up plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your child to school.

Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your children feel anxious about going to school or show other signs of not wanting to go to school.

We want your child to be successful in school. Let us know how we can best support you and your child so that he or she shows up for school on time every day. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact your child's teacher, principal, school counselor, or check out the parent resources available at http://www.attendanceworks.org/

For more information concerning the new attendance policy and the Attendance Tier Intervention process, contact Bonnie Patterson, Supervisor of Attendance for Cannon County Schools at 615-563-5752.