INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — School officials on Wednesday said communication from parents is key for Indiana’s new law on chronic absenteeism.

Beginning with this school year, schools are required to meet with parents to develop an attendance plan if a student has more than five days of unexcused absences in any 10-week period. Any such meeting must include the student’s parent, teacher, and a school administrator. The General Assembly approved the law this spring after Indiana Department of Education officials reported 1 in 5 students were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year.

Allison Woods, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning of exceptional learners and whole child for the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, said in her experience, many different factors can affect a child’s attendance. Woods said lack of access to reliable transportation, lack of stable housing, and mental health problems are some of the most common.

“There are instances where a parent maybe hasn’t had a great experience with school or they’ve had other life barriers that are the priority for them and their family,” Woods said. “It’s really getting the school and the family to work together to identify why their child isn’t coming to school and what we can do to support them to get their child to school.”

If a child accumulates more than 10 days of unexcused absences for the entire school year, the prosecuting attorney will have to be notified. Violations of the state’s truancy law can lead to class B misdemeanor charges for parents, which could mean a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said criminal prosecution is rare. Instead, Marion County has a truancy-reduction program that functions similarly to a pre-trial diversion agreement.

Woods said Warren Township schools have used attendance meetings similar to those now required by state law for the past two school years. She said identifying what is causing the student to be absent is the key to finding the most effective interventions. In many cases, those meetings lead to connecting students with services such as counseling and mentors. Woods said the school corporation set up a mentoring program last year for chronically absent students that focuses on small groups and skill development.

Woods said more than half of Warren Township’s student absences are unexcused. In many of those cases, she said the students involved are actually sick but their parents forgot to call it in.

“Kids are going to get sick but we need to know why they’re not at school,” Woods said.

Woods said the best thing parents can do is keep their child’s school in the loop about any attendance problems on their end. She said if a parent faces barriers in getting their child to school, they should contact their child’s school and proactively work with them on ways to get their child to class.

The truancy law only applies to unexcused absences. Woods said extended absences, such as for illness, won’t be counted against a student as long as parents supply proper documentation, such as a doctor’s note.