Every doctor's appointment, every snow day, every college visit your kid takes this school year will count toward a label that used to apply only to students skipping class.

Ohio's new attendance law took effect Aug. 1, and Cincinnati Public Schools students returned to class on Aug. 20 under rules that eliminate the old distinction between excused and unexcused absences. Under House Bill 96, a student is now considered "chronically absent" after missing at least 10% of required instructional hours, regardless of the reason.

That means a Kilgour Elementary or Clark Montessori student who racks up sick days, weather closures and routine appointments is now measured by the same yardstick as a student who simply doesn't show up.

What changed

Previously, Ohio law used an "excessively absent" definition that triggered parent notification only after 38 hours of unexcused or non-medically excused absences in a month, or 65 hours in a year. That category no longer exists in Ohio Revised Code, according to guidance from the Ohio Department of Education.

Schools must now contact families earlier, before students reach the 10% threshold. The state leaves the exact timing to each district. Some Ohio districts, such as Pickerington Local Schools, plan to reach out at 5%. CPS has not publicly specified its trigger point, though the district amended Board Policy 5201 (Truancy) at its April 20 business meeting in preparation.

Tardiness counts too. Under the hours-based tracking, a student routinely arriving 10 to 15 minutes late can accumulate enough missed instructional time to be flagged.

CPS context

CPS Superintendent Shauna Murphy addressed the issue at the district's back-to-school event on Aug. 19, the day before classes started.

"Young people miss school because they're afraid of what is happening in society. They miss school because they have doctor's appointments. They miss school because they go on college visits, which we encourage college visits, but they do contribute to chronic absenteeism," Murphy said, according to WCPO.

The stakes are high for CPS. The district's chronic absenteeism rate stood at 45.6% on the 2025 Ohio state report cards, nearly double the statewide average of roughly 25%. Building-level data for Kilgour, Clark Montessori and Withrow University High School is not publicly available; CPS was among large districts not yet submitting data to Ohio's new statewide attendance dashboard as of April.

The district also cut 12 social worker positions this summer as part of more than 100 job reductions to close a budget gap exceeding $58 million, according to WLWT. That leaves 66 social workers district-wide. Christine Reeves, CPS director of student services, acknowledged at the back-to-school event that delivering wraparound supports including attendance intervention is harder to do than to describe.

What parents should know

Court involvement has not changed. A student labeled "chronically absent" does not automatically face juvenile court action. That step applies only to "habitual truants," defined as students absent without legitimate excuse for 30 or more consecutive hours, 42 or more hours in one school month, or 72 or more hours in a school year.

Parents at Kilgour, Clark Montessori, Withrow and other east-side schools should expect earlier phone calls or letters about attendance this year. The district has 66 social workers tasked with following up, one per building, down from 78 last year.