Attendance

Academic Achievement and Time Spent Engaged in Educational Activities

The vision statement of the Volusia County School District sets the tone for this district’s commitment to providing a quality education to all of its students. In order to produce students who will become successful contributors to our democratic society, we must first begin with an educational system that allows each child to reach their maximum potential. Academic achievement is at the top of the list of variables that contribute to a child’s ability to succeed in life. Academic achievement is directly correlated to the time spent engaged in educational activities. “A National Center for School Engagement literature review (Heilbrunn, 2007) found that truants have lower grades, need to repeat grades, drop out of school, are expelled from school, or just do not graduate from high school, at higher rates than students with fewer unexcused absences” (National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention, Prevention Brief).

During the first national symposium on truancy prevention held in Washington, DC in December 2004, J. Robert Flores, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention stated in his message to participants, “the three A’s – Attendance, Attachment, and Achievement… reflect an important component of a child’s school success and ultimately his or her future as a productive, healthy, and happy adult.” While the ultimate goal of any educational institution is to maximize the academic achievement of all of its students, current conventional wisdom dictates that you cannot achieve this goal without also addressing regular school attendance and a child’s emotional connection with the school. If a child does not feel a connection or a bond with their school they will not attend and if they do not attend, they cannot achieve. If our district wants to distinguish itself as a leader in educational excellence, then we cannot ignore nor neglect the important role that regular attendance plays in achieving this goal.

Attendance Awareness Information

This is an opportunity for schools, parents, and the community to highlight the importance of attendance each day during the month of September.

Attendance Initiative Winners 2023-2024

Attendance Initiative Winners 2022-2023

Attendance Initiative Contest Winners 2021-2022

Compulsory School Attendance

Effective July 1, 2017, House Bill 7069 requires school districts to adopt student absence policies regarding student appointments to receive autism spectrum disorder therapy; including but not limited to, applied behavioral analysis, speech therapy, and occupational therapy; allows a parent to request and be granted permission for a student’s absence resulting from an appointment to receive therapy provided by a licensed health care practitioner or a certified behavior analyst for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder; and allows a student who is continually sick and repeatedly absent to satisfy nonattendance requirement by being under the supervision of a licensed health practitioner or a certified behavior analyst for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder.

For more information, please refer to 2024-2025 Compulsory School Attendance Manual and the VCS District Student Attendance Policy.

PST Chairs will find this updated PowerPoint helpful MTSS Attendance Training

Volusia County Schools District Attendance Manuals, Guidelines, Toolkits and Related Information

Attendance Articles

Attendance Statistics

Posters

Technical Assistance Papers

Technical Assistance Papers (TAP) are produced periodically by the Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services to present discussion of current topics. The TAPs may be used for in-service sessions, technical assistance visits, parent organization meetings, or interdisciplinary discussion groups. Topics are identified by state steering committees, district personnel, and individuals, or from program compliance monitoring.

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