In an innovative approach to combat rising rates of student absenteeism, Ohio lawmakers have proposed a bill that would pay students to attend school. The bill, known as House Bill 348, aims to incentivize regular school attendance among kindergarteners and ninth graders by offering monetary rewards.
Chronic absenteeism has been on the rise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Chronic” absenteeism is defined as missing more than 10% of the school year. In Ohio, kindergarten absenteeism rates have skyrocketed from 11% to 29% in the last year. For ninth graders, the rate has gone from 15% to 31%.
Lawmakers believe that this payment program could help reverse this trend. The proposed legislation would allocate $1.5 million over two years to trial the program in two Ohio school districts.
The bill proposes that kindergarteners who maintain regular attendance could earn up to $750, with the payment going to the student’s family. Ninth graders would also be eligible for the same amount, with the payment being split between the student and their family. Additionally, the bill includes a provision to reward high school graduates from qualifying schools, with extra incentives for those with good grades.