Lakota families will see earlier alerts about missed school for the 2026-27 school year after the district adopted a stricter attendance policy required by state law.

The Lakota Board of Education approved updates to its student attendance policy, Policy 5200, at its July 27 meeting. The changes, first reported by the Lakota East Spark, the student newspaper at Lakota East High School, comply with Ohio House Bill 96 (HB 96). The law took effect Sept. 30, 2025, as part of the state's biennial budget, and required all Ohio public schools to adopt new attendance rules by Aug. 1, 2026.

The biggest shift: both excused and unexcused absences now count toward chronic absenteeism calculations. Under the previous law, House Bill 410, passed in 2016, excused absences could be waived.

Parents will receive automated notifications through ParentSquare when a student misses 5% of required instructional hours. For students in grades 7 through 12, that threshold is 50.5 hours, or roughly seven to eight school days. For half-day kindergartners, it is 22.75 hours.

The 5% mark triggers a notification, not a chronic absenteeism designation. That label applies at 10% of required hours.

State Rep. David Thomas told the Spark the law aims to produce more accurate data. Schools had been waiving many excused absences, he said, which masked the scope of the problem. Thomas said the goal was to ensure parents are notified earlier and to push schools and families to work together on attendance before courts get involved.

Not every student sees the change as helpful. Lakota East senior Reese Barker said she and friends received truancy letters under the old policy for absences that "didn't seem like much school." Barker, who missed time for mental health reasons, was told by administrators to collect parent notes and medical excuses. Under the new rules, those excused absences would still count toward the threshold, potentially triggering intervention sooner.

The law does shift how schools respond. Court referral for truancy is now a last resort. Each school's absence intervention team, made up of staff, family members and local support groups, will create individualized plans before any court filing.

Superintendent Ashley Whitely told the Board of Education at its June 19 meeting that HB 96 "puts more back on local control and empowers districts to create the steps that they feel that they need before they get to court action."

Lakota East Principal Matt MacFarlane told the Spark the updated policies also protect the district's standing on state report cards. Chronic absenteeism data factors into Ohio's annual school ratings. Lakota earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on its most recent state report card, but its chronic absenteeism rate stood at 15.5%, according to the Ohio School Report Card. The district serves roughly 17,000 students across 23 schools in West Chester and Liberty townships.

Up to five medically excused absences will still be accepted without a doctor's note, provided a parent or guardian notifies the school, according to the district's attendance page.

The Lakota Board of Education meets Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Policy Committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 20.