Cumberland County Schools officials used a Family Academy session to summarize revisions to the district attendance policy and to launch an "Every Minute Counts" campaign aimed at improving student attendance across the 2025–26 school year.

The policy changes: Christy Newitt, Counseling Coordinator, said the district revised Attendance Policy 4.400 and launched it in January 2025, initially for high school students. "Now students are only allowed to have 10 parent notes throughout the year," Newitt said, adding that high school students may have 10 parent notes per semester because classes change by semester. She also said families must submit absence notes within five days of the student's return to school to align with makeup‑work deadlines.

Why it matters: district staff stressed that consistent attendance is strongly linked to academic outcomes. Pamela Story, Social Work Coordinator, said the district has designated September as Attendance Awareness Month with school activities to promote daily attendance.

Support and enforcement: Story described a Truancy Mediation Council intended to help families who struggle with attendance. "It is not punitive, it is restorative and it's collaborative," she said, and staff encouraged families to contact school counselors or social workers before court becomes an option. Story also reminded families that under North Carolina compulsory attendance requirements, school officials can pursue court action after a child accumulates 10 unexcused absences.

Clarifications: district presenters directed families to the Infinite Campus parent portal for live attendance tracking and encouraged direct contact with schools for questions. The session did not provide sample absence note forms or a districtwide appeal process for disputed unexcused absences; those details were not specified during the presentation.

Ending: Officials urged families to review attendance expectations with students and to use available school supports; the district plans events and communications in September to promote the Every Minute Counts initiative.