Return of the OCPS Absence Notification Policy
On Monday, August 19, a recently approved absence notification policy will go into effect in Orange County Public Schools. The new policy will notify parents when their child is absent earlier in the day, rather than at the end of the school day. This change was prompted by the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto.
ORANGE COUNTY, Florida. – An absence notification policy that went into effect in the weeks following the disappearance and death of 13-year-old Madeline Soto has been reinstated in Orange County public schools since Monday.
For Orange County students, the second week of the 2024-25 school year begins.
The policy, which was approved in March and took effect after students returned from spring break, was created in the wake of the investigation into Soto’s disappearance.
(Previous coverage) Orange County schools introduce new absence policy
This week, Orange County Public Schools’ new absence alert policy went into effect. Now parents will be notified earlier in the day if their child is absent from school. The new policy was implemented following the death of Madeline Soto.
The deceased Hunter’s Creek Middle School student was first reported missing on February 26 after she was reportedly dropped off at school by her mother’s boyfriend. The teen’s mother only learned of her daughter’s absence when she went to pick her up from school and discovered that she had not been to class all day.
Days later, Soto’s body was found in rural Osceola County. Stephan Sterns, the mother’s boyfriend, was eventually charged with premeditated murder of the teenager. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.
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Before this policy went into effect, parents were notified via automated phone calls if their child missed more than half of the school day. This was the amount of time the district needed at the time to consider a student absent. This meant that parents were not notified of their child’s absence until near the end or after the school day.
For example, middle schools in Orange County dismiss students shortly after 4 p.m., and the deadline for teachers to submit attendance records was 3:30 p.m.
Monument to Madeline Soto is demolished at the request of the property owner
After Soto’s death, parents started an online petition calling on the school district to update its absence notification policy and notify parents earlier in the day.
“While this petition was sparked by Madeline’s disappearance, we now know that it could not have saved her life, but it can change the life of a future child,” said Sarah Terrell, a mother of a Hunter’s Creek Middle School student, in the petition’s description. “When a child is missing, every minute counts!”
(Previous coverage) Teen’s death sparks debate over absence warning policy
Parents in Orange County are calling on the district to update its absence notice policies following the death of Madeline Soto. The 13-year-old girl died and her body was found days after she failed to show up for school last Monday morning.
Within a few days, the petition received over 12,000 signatures.
“From the time of handover to the notification call at 5 p.m., it can take up to 10 hours. Those 10 hours can be very important in locating a person,” Terrell previously told FOX 35.
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Here’s when parents will know if their child is at school under the new absence notification policy:
- Secondary school: 8:55 a.m. (school starts at 7:20 a.m.)
- Primary school: 10:05 a.m. (school starts either 8:15 a.m. or 8:45 a.m.)
- Middle School: 11:05 am (school starts at 9:30 am)
Parents are also called later in the day, usually in the afternoon, if their child has not been in class for more than half the day.
According to Orange County Public Schools, in addition to automated calls or emails, parents can also opt for text alerts by texting “YES” or “J” to 68453.
