Every absence counts now. That's the bottom line for Olentangy Local School District's 24,000-plus students when classes begin Aug. 20, under a new state attendance law that changes how missed school time is tracked.
Ohio House Bill 96, enacted as part of the state's 2025-27 budget and effective Sept. 30, 2025, requires all Ohio districts to count every absence toward a chronic absenteeism threshold, whether the absence is excused, medically excused or unexcused. Previously, many families assumed excused absences wouldn't trigger district intervention.
Under the law, a student is chronically absent after missing 10% of required instructional hours in a school year. According to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, that translates to roughly 90 to 110 hours, or about 18 school days. Missing just two to three days per month puts a student on that track.
Families will hear from schools earlier
HB 96 also mandates that districts contact families before a student hits 5% of missed instructional hours. The state estimates that threshold at 45 to 50 hours, or 7.5 to 8.5 school days.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce recommends districts not wait until the 5% mark, noting that delaying contact could mean a student has already missed more than a week of school before parents hear anything.
Late arrivals and early dismissals also count toward the total, as NBC4 reported Aug. 13. Routine tardiness can quietly accumulate.
"Sometimes we hear from parents, it's just 10, 15 minutes here or there," Adrienne Bowden, Pickerington's coordinator of engagement and student success, told NBC4. "Now we're into a day. We're into two or three days a month, and that's a lot of instructional time the students are missing."
What this means for Olentangy families
Olentangy, which serves students across Powell, Lewis Center and southern Delaware County, was required to adopt an updated attendance policy by Aug. 1, developed in consultation with the Delaware County juvenile court, parents and community partners. The district has not publicly detailed its specific implementation plan for HB 96.
Superintendent Todd Meyer addressed the board on Aug. 6 about preparations for the 2026-27 school year, including staff onboarding and transportation safety training, but the district's public summary of that meeting did not mention the attendance policy changes.
The law does not mean students should attend school sick or skip medical appointments. Excused absences still exist. But that missed time now counts toward the chronic absenteeism calculation regardless of the reason.
Statewide context
During the 2024-25 school year, more than 25% of Ohio students were chronically absent. Olentangy's own rate has not been released, though the district earned a five-star rating on the 2024-25 Ohio School Report Cards for the third consecutive year.
The law also distinguishes chronic absenteeism from habitual truancy. Truancy still applies only to unexcused absences and triggers at 30 or more consecutive hours, 42 or more hours in a month, or 72 or more hours in a year. Court involvement remains possible for truancy, but HB 96 directs districts to work with families on attendance before reaching that point.
Districts were required to have updated policies in place by Aug. 1. Families with questions can contact Amanda Beeman, Olentangy's assistant director of communications, at 740-657-5080.
