Perry County District 32 schools have updated their attendance practices as they continue to focus on achieving the state’s attendance goal of having at least 90 percent of students at school at least 90 percent of the time school is in session.
“As the second semester begins, we will continue to encourage all students to attend school all day every day,” said Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden. “We know that students who attend school regularly have better outcomes than those who miss classes. When we help students overcome obstacles to attendance, we help them succeed in the classroom and in their adult lives.”
Mr. Hayden and the district’s team of assistant principals spent several months studying attendance data, trends, and procedures before developing the new practices.
Beginning when students return to class on Jan. 6, 2025, District 32 will “excuse” the first 5 days of school students miss in the semester, as long as they follow office procedures. Day 6 and beyond will be considered “unexcused,” regardless of the reason. According to Mr. Hayden, this change has several benefits. “First, it provides students with a clear understanding that any absence from school is an absence from school. We wish to create a consistent expectation that students should strive to be at school every day so they don’t miss instruction. It can be hard to catch up when you’ve been absent. Widespread absences can also result in teachers reviewing information instead of moving on with lessons. That affects everyone in the class.”
Parents are still asked to phone their child’s school office to report any absence. “We are also asking our parents to schedule appointments after school hours, on days off, or during the summer,” he said. “We provide a calendar of available days on our website to help families plan ahead for those appointments.”
Mr. Hayden said that students who miss 10 days of school per semester will miss 20 days of instruction per school year. “That’s 30 hours of math instruction and 60 hours of reading and writing instruction missed per year,” he said. “If they miss 10 days every semester, a student will miss 1 year of instruction by the time they graduate – if they graduate. We are hopeful that our new practices remove the misconception that students ‘can’ miss 10 days per semester without consequence. The truth is that the consequences of chronic absenteeism can be life-altering.”
Mr. Hayden noted that students who miss 10 days of school per year are 25% less likely to enroll in college. “By 6th grade, chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school,” he said. “Our goal is to have our students here every day so that doesn’t happen.”
The buildings will continue to counsel students who are accumulating absences, and to work with their parents to overcome obstacles to attendance. Automated messages will be sent to parents of students who do not report to school, and parents will continue to receive information about the total number of days their students have missed school. Different incentives for good attendance are being offered at all schools as well.