Tips for Families to Support School Attendance

Supporting your teen

Help your child understand that school is your child's job

• Make school attendance a priority and your expectation for your child.
• Talk to your child about the importance of daily attendance in every class and how it helps his/her learning. 

Help your child build good habits

• Help your child practice good daily habits like:
• finishing homework and placing it in his/her backpack
• laying out clothes and the backpack in the evening
• having a regular bedtime for a good night's sleep
• leaving early enough in the morning to get to school on time.
• Help your child build responsibility skills by reminding them to make up any missed school work after an absence.

When your child is sick 

• Only let your child stay home if he/she is truly sick. Sometimes complaints of a headache or stomach ache might be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.  Contact the teacher or school counselor for support if you think this might be happening.
• The Sick Day Guidelines for Families may be helpful, if you are not sure if you should keep your child at home due to illness.

Appointments and vacations

• Make every effort to schedule doctor, dentist, and other appointments after school hours.
• If your child must be out of school for an appointment, get him/her back to school for at least part of the school day.
• Plan vacations when school is not in session.

Attendance records

• Contact the school every time your child will be absent.
• Check your child's attendance regularly on ParentVue or with school staff.
• Use ParentVue to keep your contact information up-to-date with the school (phone numbers, address, parent work location, email address, etc.).

Getting Help

• Contact your child's teacher or the school counselor for support if your child is resisting going to school.

Keep Your Teen Interested in School

Talk with your teen about classes

• Ask about his/her school day.
• Learn which classes are engaging your teen's interests.
• Discuss ways to increase interest in classes your teen does not find engaging.
• Stay on top of your teen's academic progress and attendance at ParentVue.

Safety

• Ask your teen if he/she feels safe from bullies and other threats.
• Stay on top of your teen's social contacts.
• Discuss peer pressure and social isolation.
• Feeling pressure from other teens or feeling lonely at school can lead to skipping or missing school.
• Encourage meaningful after school activities, including sports and clubs.
• If your teen is feeling unsafe, losing interest and/or missing school, get help from school staff (Teacher, Counselor, Nurse, etc.).

Heading toward graduation

• Talk about why a high school diploma is important to your teen's future.
• Make it clear that missing school is unacceptable.
• Contact the school counselors and teachers if you think your teen may be falling behind academically, missing school more than 2 days per month, or seems to be losing interest in school to help your teen stay on track for graduation.