School Attendance Matters
Every day. Every Grade.
Students who frequently miss school fall behind academically. While caused by a variety of factors, poor attendance makes it difficult for children to succeed in school, limiting their options for future success.
It is for this reason that Minnesota law requires that all children aged 7-17 attend school, whether it be public, private, charter , online , or at home .
A child is legally considered to be a "continuing truant " if they have 3 unexcused absences in elementary school or miss 3 or more class periods on 3 days in middle and high school, and a "habitual truant " if they have 7 unexcused absences in elementary school or miss 1 or more class periods on 7 days in middle and high school.
Compulsory Education Law
The SAM Program
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office collaborates with schools, law enforcement, community agencies and child protection to intervene in absenteeism early. Our goal is to understand the reasons children are missing school and work with students and their families to remove those barriers so they are present every day and succeed in school and in life.
"I really felt supported by SAM. The help I received in setting up programs for my student was awesome."
- Parent of 11th grade student
To ensure children are present every day and succeed in school, we use a three-step process:
Informational Meeting Video
Information for Schools:
Making Referrals to the SAM Program
If there is a chronically absent student enrolled at your school who lives in Ramsey County that you would like to refer to our program, please reference the information provided below.
If you have any questions after reviewing these materials, they can be directed to [email protected].
"SAM gives us an added tool and resource to help our students and families. The majority of students referred to SAM improve their attendance and experience success in school."
- School staff member
"Education opens the doors of opportunity to good-paying jobs, paving our students' paths to successful careers. Without a high school diploma, many of our residents struggle to find work to make ends meet and, sadly, sometimes end up in the criminal justice system.
Thank you, parents and school staff, for working with us to ensure all our students are in school learning so they can graduate with the skills they need to succeed."
- John J. Choi, Ramsey County Attorney