September is National Attendance Awareness Month, a time when schools across the country are working to raise awareness about the importance of being in class every day. For the Adams County Ohio Valley School District, the observance comes at a critical time, as local leaders acknowledge that student attendance has become one of the district’s most pressing challenges.

Tracy Spires, Director of State and Federal Programs and one of the district’s attendance officers, explained that chronic absenteeism is not just an issue in Adams County, but a statewide and even national concern. “The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce monitors chronic absenteeism,” she said. “Last year, the state goal was 16.4 percent. This year, the goal dropped to 14.5. But our district was at 27.7, which mea

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