SALEM Oregon schools will soon be required to notify parents before the end of the school day when a child is absent.
House Bill 3197 has been approved by the House and Senate and just needs to governor s signature to become law, which was expected.
A Medford-area lawmaker sponsored the bill after Kyron Horman disappeared. The boy, who was 7 at the time, vanished after going to a science fair at his school at 8:45 a.m.
Kyron was last seen at 9 a.m. on June 4, but his family did not learn that he was marked absent from class until he failed to get off the school bus at 3:45 p.m. Police said that likely hurt their search efforts.
Complete coverage: Kyron Horman investigation
Many school districts already have automated attendance notification systems, including Portland Public Schools.
Kyron s school, Skyline Elementary, was not using the system at the time of his disappearance. But all Portland schools are now required to use it.
