A new national initiative called Attendance Awareness Month was launched in September by Attendance Works, an Oakland-based nonprofit group.
With chronic absenteeism costing California school districts millions and putting huge numbers of students at academic risk, schools from Willits to Los Angeles and beyond are working harder than ever to address the root causes of absenteeism, including student health, family distress and how connected students feel to adults at school.
Schools have always been concerned about students missing school, but there’s a new focus on those who arechronically absent – defined as those who miss 10 percent or more of the school year in excused or unexcused absences.
“Why are these kids gone?” asked Debra Duardo, executive director for Student Health and Human Services at the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Why” has become part of a broader conversation about school reform that links chronic absenteeism to discipline policies that “push students out,” school environments that don’t feel emotionally safe, and mental health concerns, such as students – and families – in need of counseling and other support.
“You have to make sure that there’s a school and a classroom that will welcome students back,” said Los Angeles Unified School District Board member Steve Zimmer. “Why would you want to attend a school where you weren’t wanted?”
Educational toll
California is one of five states that does not keep a statewide tally of chronically absent students, but 10 percent of students nationwide are estimated to be chronically absent, according to a reportby researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Officials believe the state rate at least matches the
