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Koehling principal outlines attendance vision; school improved from ~69% to 80% in year one
Summary
Koehling Elementary Principal Miss Cruz told the board her attendance‑improvement campaign emphasizes incentives, early intervention and family meetings; she said the school rose from roughly 69% to 80% in the first year toward a 94% target for individual students.
Koehling Elementary Principal Miss Cruz presented a year-two update on the school's attendance vision, which aims for 90% of students to maintain at least 94% attendance.
Miss Cruz described incentives, weekly communication via ParentSquare, assemblies, ribbons for grade levels, and small rewards (coupons and token prizes) for students and staff. She said the first year of the initiative improved the school's attendance rate from about 69% to 80% and credited early, targeted parent meetings and individualized plans for students who accrued five excused absences or reached chronic thresholds.
Cruz described a tiered intervention: virtual meetings after five excused absences to share a plan, more intensive meetings and plans after 18 absences, and early-warning reports that let staff contact families when a student reached three to seven absences to prevent a downward trend. She said the district must report to juvenile services once a student reaches ten unexcused absences under Indiana code and that these escalation points helped motivate families.
The presentation also included a modest 'aesthetic' goal to update teacher lounges and building entry displays to foster a respectful, welcoming environment for staff and students. Board members praised the approach and asked Cruz to share a sanitized sample of an attendance plan.
