Attendance
Report an Absence
Please call 740-393-5900 Ext. 5704 between 7:15 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. to report a student’s absence or to request permission for a student to be released early from school.
- The parent/guardian will be asked to give the reason for the absence. Students absent from school without a parental call will be considered unexcused.
- You can report your student's absence in advance at any time of day by calling the school building number and following the attendance prompt.
If you are having any issues, please get in touch with your building secretary for assistance.
Understanding Attendance
What Families Need to Know
Mount Vernon City Schools wants families to understand Ohio's attendance requirements and how our schools work with students and families when attendance concerns arise.
In this video, MVHS Assistant Principal Graham Roan explains how absences are calculated, the parent call-in limit, chronic absenteeism, truancy and attendance interventions.
While the video is presented by a member of the MVHS administrative team, the attendance requirements discussed apply districtwide. Building-specific reporting procedures and contact information may vary by school.
Attendance at a Glance
Absences Are Counted in Hours
Student absences are calculated based on the instructional hours missed, rather than simply the number of school days missed.
10 Parent Call-InsParents or guardians may excuse up to 10 absences through parent call-ins or sign-outs. After the 10th parent-excused absence, medical documentation is required for an additional absence to be considered excused.
Chronic Absenteeism vs. Truancy
- Chronic absenteeism includes both excused and unexcused absences and is based on the percentage of instructional time a student misses.
- Truancy is based only on unexcused absences.
Our goal is to identify attendance concerns early and work together with students and families to help students attend school regularly and stay engaged in learning.
School Attendance
The educational program offered by Mount Vernon City Schools is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. Attendance shall be required of all students enrolled in the school during the days and hours that school is in session. In accordance with statute, the Superintendent, or his/her designee shall require, from the parent of each student who is absent from school or from class for any reason, a written statement of the cause for such absence. The Board of Education reserves the right to verify such statements and investigate the cause of each single absence or prolonged absence. Notification: When a student is absent from school, a parent (or) parents/guardian is expected to notify the school Attendance Office each day that the student is absent.
For complete details regarding excused absences, tardiness, and truancy guidelines, please review the official Mount Vernon City Schools Board Policy 5200 (Attendance).
Automated Attendance Calling System
Mount Vernon City Schools uses InstantConnect as our automated attendance call system. This system automatically calls parents to inform them that their child was reported absent from school by their teacher.
- If your child is absent, please contact the building secretary each day before the start of the school day.
- Even if you have already called in your student's absence or if your child arrives late to school, you will still receive a call from the automated system due to the attendance data download occurring at a set time each day. You may disregard the call if you have reported the absence to the building secretary.
Students signing out of school early for appointments should follow our regular procedures of bringing a note to the office in the morning so a pass can be issued to leave class before being signed out by a parent.
Make sure to update your student's contact information - if your residential address, phone number, or email address recently changed. Contact data is imported into our Student Information System directly from the PowerSchool Parent Portal.
If you are having any issues, please get in touch with your building secretary for assistance.