Oak Hill High reports attendance short of 90% monthly goal; incidents down from last year

Oak Hill High School administrators told the RSU 4 school board Wednesday that the school is nearing a monthly attendance goal of 90 percent but remains short by about nine students.

An Oak Hill administrator summarized the strategy used to support attendance: teacher outreach, phone calls and home visits, family engagement, and connections with guidance and community resources. "It's really about that outreach and the phone calls that go along with it," the administrator said, urging persistent contact rather than waiting on emails.

Administrators presented behavior and attendance statistics for the current year: 133 incidents recorded to date compared with 252 total incidents at the end of last school year. The breakdown presented included 14 warnings and 41 detentions (many teacher- or office-issued, with office detentions often tied to tardies). The school reported nine in-school suspensions and 28 out-of-school suspensions year-to-date. An administrator said suspensions are used sparingly: "When we talk about suspensions I, I know you know this but it is our last thing we want to do." The board asked whether suspensions are counted in attendance totals; staff replied that suspensions are not counted into the "absent" totals used for truancy letters.

Administrators said the school is tracking attendance through the Count Me In Maine attendance resources and that modest gains of a small number of students can move the overall rate. The leadership team set a monthly goal of 90 percent and reported they have been "very, very close." The administrator noted that the difference between current and target attendance was about nine students and described targeted outreach and supportive interventions, including connecting families to guidance counselors, social workers or Department of Health and Human Services where appropriate.

School staff also reported efforts to encourage positive behavior, including using PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and steps to recognize students for good behavior. Administrators said some student absences and tardies are driven by transportation, family instability or housing issues; when a student is determined to be homeless, McKinney-Vento protections can provide additional support including transportation to the school that best meets the student's needs.

Board members asked for more granular breakdowns (grade-level tardiness, repeat offenders) and district staff offered to pull detailed PowerSchool reports. Administrators said they would return with drilled-down data on which grade levels account for specific tardy or detention categories.