SHELBY — Shelby City Schools has its sights set on improving student attendance.
Paul Walker, Shelby assistant superintendent, said the district is aiming to continue lowering chronic absenteeism rates at each of its buildings.
“Attendance is so important for success in school,” he said during Monday’s Shelby Board of Education meeting.
“We always here it from the employers, ‘The number one thing is we need people to show up and work every day.'”
According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, students who miss two to four days in September are five times more likely to be chronically absent throughout the school year, Walker said.
The district is addressing attendance through multiple efforts, including student engagement in the classroom, looking at data monthly and hiring an attendance officer.
Attendance officer to monitor chronic absences
A position dedicated to attendance monitoring is an “extra layer” Walker hopes will contribute to the continued lowering of Shelby’s chronic absenteeism rate.
“We’re going to try to really hone in on that this year with the attendance officer and our secretaries, making it a priority with our building principals,” Walker said.
Building principals within the district will report chronically absent students to the attendance officer, who will handle all communication with the student and their parents/guardians.
If necessary, Walker said the attendance officer may also need to conduct home visits.
“We just want families to realize this is a priority, to get kids here in school,” he said.
School-based health center could aid attendance increase
Additionally, the district’s school-based health center, located in the Board of Education Building, 109 W. Smiley Ave., is another asset to promote healthy living and consistent attendance for students.
Through a partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Shelby’s SBHC opened in December 2023. Available services include wellness checks, immunizations, blood work, as well as sports and work permit physicals.
Additional health services include yearly checkups and treatment of asthma, ADHD, and more.
The SBHC accepts Medicaid and several other insurance plans. No child will be denied care due to the inability to pay for services. District staff members can also receive immunizations at the SBHC.
