Mt. Vernon Township High School has updated its attendance policy in the wake of new state truancy guidelines.
"We can't carry out our mission without students in school," said Principal Wes Olson. "We want them to meet their fullest potential."
MVTHS has set a goal of raising attendance 2 percent in response to the changes in the Illinois School Code that went into effect at the beginning of the new school year, which allow students to miss only nine days unexcused rather than 18.
Olson said he expects the new system to result in 90 percent of students accruing less than five unexcused absences, with another 5 percent between three and eight and the remaining 5 percent over the limit of nine.
"Through a framework which provides three tiers of support to our students and families (prevention, early intervention and more intense intervention strategies), the 2011-12 Attendance Plan will assist our students in being successful," information states. "It will take the entire community to support the importance of education and the need for students to be at school every day."
Olson said a fundamental part of the new plan is to hold accountable four groups: school personnel, students, parents and the community.
According to information provided by the school, expectations for students include planning appointments outside school hours and coming to school with minor illnesses rather than staying home; for school personnel, educating the medical community on the attendance plan and reducing out-of-school suspension for tardies and other minor offenses; for the community, providing incentives to be given to students with good attendance, such as iPods, and creating and hanging posters about the policy; and for parents, making sure their children get an adequate amount of sleep and planning vacations around school times.
"This can make a real difference in your child's life. You just have to get them here," Olson said.
Action steps for preventing truancy have toughened up as well: the first day of truancy results in a letter to the student's parent; the second, a call home and five days of social suspension; and the third, a call and/or home visit from school social workers to create a plan for the child. Steps increase in severity until all the student's days are exhausted. - http://goo.gl/eHOVY
