A new Missouri law passed this year now tying attendance and funding in schools across the state. As a result, school boards need to change their calendars and find new ways to incorporate breaks throughout the year.

“We need to be creative with how those days are used,” the principal at FHN high school, Jeffery Fletcher said. “Depending on if we want to keep fall break and spring break as long as it is, or find some other creative ways to make sure we have fewer days off.”

The new law requires schools to maintain a higher attendance for funding, placing pressure on the attendance officers to optimize how attendance is maintained.

“Our job is changing all the time,” attendance secretary Brittany Kriefels said. “As we learn more and have access to more, we find better systems that help us streamline things. So the new attendance policies will definitely change what we do.”

While reworking a new calendar, schools work to find the most motivating and engaging method to increase attendance, and ensure students stay motivated.

“There’s a lot of data to support the more students are involved and are here, the more often they’re finding success in their classes and have fewer behavior issues,” Fletcher said. “If we can get kids attached to school in some way, whether that’s through a sport or a club or some activity, we will see a lot of positive gain.”

Overall, the new law is a significant change, with both positive and negative aspects but the core mission remains the same.

“The end goal of all legislation around education is to improve the educational process and experience of all students, no matter the post-secondary goal, whether it’s military, four-year university, or going straight into the workforce,” Fletcher said. “If we can get kids here, get them in some quality programming, get them prepared, that’s the goal.”