Attendance

Yes. 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week. You may report absences for any school day in the school ter, up to the cut-off time on the day of the absence.

Mason High School | Grades 9-12
School Hours: 7:45AM-2:30PM
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 8:35AM

Mason Middle School | Grades 7 & 8
School Hours: 7:45AM-2:30PM
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 8:35AM

Mason Intermediate School | Grades 5 & 6 
School Hours: 8:40AM-3:10PM
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 9:30 AM

Mason Elementary School | Grades 3 & 4 
School Hours: 8:40AM-3:10PM 
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 9:30AM 

Mason Early Childhood Center | PK & K (AM) 
School Hours: 9:20AM-12:05PM 
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 10:10AM 

Mason Early Childhood Center | PK & K (PM)
School Hours: 1:05PM-3:50PM 
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 1:45PM 

Mason Early Childhood Center | Grades 1 & 2 
School Hours: 9:20AM-3:50PM 
Reporting Time Cut-Off: 10:10AM

You’ll receive a call from SchoolMessenger

If you answer the phone, you’ll have the chance to enter the absence. (simulation below)

• A student in your household named “Luke” was absent today.
• If you are aware of this absence press 1
• If you did not know your student was absent from school, immediately call your child’s school.
• Enter 1 for a full day absence .etc.

If you don’t answer, you’ll receive a call and will need to call the school office to convert the absence to excused.

MECC (Grades K-2): 513-398-3741

MECC (Grades PK): 513-229-4578

ME (Grades 3 & 4): 513-398-5821

MI (Grades 5 & 6): 513-459-2850

MMS (Grades 7 & 8): 513-398-9035

MHS Grades (9-12): 513-398-5025

1. Send an email to your school’s Attendance Administrative Assistant with your child’s Name, Student ID, Days Requested, and Reason for Request
    

2. The Attendance Administrative Assistant will let you know if your child’s absence has been approved or denied. If it has been approved in advance, you will not have to use the School Messenger system to report the absence, and you will not receive a call that your child is absent.

MHS Admin Assistant Debbie Huff
huffde@masonohioschools.com

MMS Attendance Admin Assistant Michelle Lienemann lienemannm@masonohioschools.com

MI Attendance Admin Assistant Debbie Welsh  welshd@masonohioschools.com

ME Attendance Admin Assistant Debbie Welsh   welshd@masonohioschools.com

MECC K-2 Attendance Admin Assistant Cara Zestermann
zestermannc@masonohioschools.com 

MECC PK Attendance Admin Assistant Michelle Fischley
fischleym@masonohioschools.com

1. You’ll hear: Welcome to the SchoolMessenger notification system for Mason City School District
    

2. For Student Attendance, press 3

   *If the phone number you are calling from matches a phone number for your student, you will hear your student’(s) name(s). 
   
   *If the system doesn’t recognize your caller ID, you will be asked to enter the phone number you have registered with the school.
    

3. If __________ (child 1’s name) will be absent, press 2
    

4. To enter an absence for today, press 1
    

5. Please select an absence reason from the following list…
    

6. Confirmation plays back. If correct, press 1

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE CALL

1. Navigate to https://go.schoolmessenger.com

2. Create an account by clicking Sign Up

3. You MUST sign up with your eSchool Mason Connects registered email address

4. The system will send a confirmation email from which you must click a link to verify that it is you.
   
   NOTE: If you ever change your email address or phone number, please email support@masonohioschools.com to get this changed within Mason Connects, so you’ll receive all notifications. The absence system and Mason Connects must be in sync.

1. You can set a PIN for each of your children or you can also create a single PIN for all children. It will be required to complete the absence reporting process.
    

2. Even if no PIN was set-up, you’ll receive an email confirmation once the absence has been noted (by phone, browser, or app)

1. Navigate to https://go.schoolmessenger.com

2. Click on the menu in the upper left hand corner

3. Click Attendance

4. Scroll down under the calendar

5. Click Manage your PIN settings

6. Set a PIN for individual children or for all

When you log in for the first time you’ll see the last 30 days of messages you’ve received. This will include any from the district and your school.

Each student will be shown with a circle and first initial. The one underlined is the student you’re viewing.

1. Go to https://go.schoolmessenger.com

2. Click Attendance

3. Select appropriate student

4. Click Report an Absence

5. Enter details and save

Phone Version

Reporting an absence using the SchoolMessenger Mobile App (Android or Applie iOS version)

Mason Early Childhood Center | Grades PK-2
School Hours:
Pre-K & K (AM) 9:20AM-12:05AM
Pre-K & K (PM) 1:05PM-3:50PM
Grades 1&2 9:20AM-3:50PM
Doors Open: 9:05 AM

Mason Elementary School | Grades 3-4
School Hours: 8:40AM - 3:10PM
Doors Open: 8:15 AM

Mason Intermediate School | Grades 5-6
School Hours: 8:40AM-3:10PM
Doors Open: 8:15 AM

Mason Middle School | Grades 7-8
School Hours: 7:45AM-2:30PM
Doors Open: 7:20 AM

Mason High School | Grades 9-12
School Hours: 7:45AM-2:30PM
Doors Open: 7:20 AM

Car Rider Procedures

• If your child will be an everyday car rider or driver, please complete a Transportation Change Request Form.

• If you have a need for one day, contact the school’s main office number.   

Chronic absenteeism, as defined by the Every Student Succeeds Act, 5 is missing 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason. It includes excused and unexcused absences. Schools and districts should provide support to the student and his or her family before the student has missed 10 percent of the school year.

Ohio law defines a habitually truant student as “any child of compulsory school age who is absent without legitimate excuse for absence from the public school the child is supposed to attend for thirty or more consecutive hours, forty-two or more hours in one school month, or seventy-two or more hours in one school year.” Districts should keep in mind that truancy is different from chronic absenteeism. Truancy only counts absences without a legitimate excuse. Also, when a child is habitually truant, the district is required to follow several administrative procedures and legal solutions to ensure the student attends school regularly.

Ohio law specifies that a student is excessively absent “with a nonmedical excuse or without legitimate excuse from the public school the child is supposed to attend for thirty-eight or more hours in one school month, or sixty-five or more hours in a school year.” What are the definitions of medical and nonmedical excuses? The definitions of medical and nonmedical excuses are defined by districts per Ohio Administrative Code 3301-69-02 and 3301-18-01. Districts should update local board-adopted attendance policies to include definitions of medical and nonmedical excuses, including a process and timeline for submitting medical excuses.

In order to be eligible to participate in an event or practice, a student must be at school the entire day of the event or practice. Exceptions to the rule are only for doctor and dentist appointments (REQUIRING one day advance notice), or at the discretion of the Assistant Principal who oversees attendance.

Documentation of the doctor or dentist appointment needs to be submitted to the attendance office the day after the absence. An entire day of school consists of attending all scheduled classes.

Although students are encouraged to take vacation while school is out of session, students may be excused for trips and vacations, provided that prior arrangements are made with their school administration.

If a vacation is not properly approved, the absences will be unexcused.