Entering a new school year can be a transition for students, and adjusting to school rules is a part of this process.

By request of the state, the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) is imposing stricter student attendance regulations. When a student is absent, schools are now mandated to send three warnings to their families. The primary warning will be given after three missed school days, which is 5% of the trimester missed, the secondary after six days, which is 10% missed, and the last notification will be after nine missed days, in total being 15% of the trimester or grading period missed.

 According to the Iowa City Community School District, “Chronic absenteeism, a primary cause of poor academic achievement, is defined as missing at least ten percent of days in a school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences.” 

After the nine days missed or 15% absenteeism, the student and their family will be called in for a mandatory school engagement meeting with a school counselor or advisor, where an absenteeism prevention plan will be created. ICCSD states, “The goal of this plan is to work together to resolve absenteeism, address attendance barriers and assist the student in attending school.” 

If the student’s parent/guardian fails to attend the meeting or doesn’t follow the prevention plan created, the county attorney may initiate a legal proceeding.  

Kate Pruess (she/her) is a guidance counselor at Liberty. She speaks on the practicality of the new policy. “[From now on,] any absence is going to be an unexcused absence,” said Pruess. “It’s hard to say one size fits all for everybody because there [is] always some gray area– If you’re receiving cancer treatment or even hospitalized, we can’t make that count against you.”

The new policy is also about holding students accountable and enforcing equity while being mindful of certain circumstances. Deb Wagner (she/ her), Liberty’s attendance secretary, gives her take on the policy. “Before, some kids who thought if they were excused and their parents called them in, they seemed to think that it was kind of a way to just not do the work.”

It’s also good to be reminded of the basics. Getting a full eight hours of sleep, waking up on time and taking responsibility for your education are all things that students can control. The policy is a good reminder that a student’s main priority when coming to school is to learn. 

“I think that kids being in school is important, mostly because of the learning process,” said Wagner. “It all goes back to the B.O.L.T.S Matrix, you can’t belong somewhere if you don’t feel a part of it. If you’re not at school, that sense of belonging goes away.” 

There are many reasons why students may miss school that may or may not be in their control. But, regardless of the reason for absence, ICCSD is locking down on absenteeism. The district believes that attendance equates to academic success and benefits student development. With a new attendance policy in place, only time will tell if this is true.