Pomona Unified School District officials on Wednesday detailed a renewed attendance-awareness campaign after reporting a 13 percentage-point decline in chronic absenteeism since the 2023–24 school year.
Cesar Casarubias, Director of People Resources for Pomona Unified, told the Board of Education that "chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of the enrollment of instructional day for any reason," and is an early indicator that a student may fall behind academically.
Casarubias said the district has targeted resources to schools with the highest absentee rates, reinstated attendance specialists and added attendance clerks at priority elementary sites. He said the district also will continue home visits and community outreach to connect families to services.
The presentation noted special concern for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten students, where Casarubias said missed days can compound into reading gaps by third grade. He cited historical context, telling the board that at the peak in 2018–19 the district’s chronic absenteeism was 11% and said returning to that level is a realistic goal only with ongoing community effort.
District staff described planned activities for September’s Attendance Awareness Month: a poster contest, monthly school attendance competitions, school-based incentives (the presentation showed principals accepting playful penalties such as pies or water balloons), and an invitation to the public for the district’s 13th annual Attendance Awareness campaign on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, which will include home visits and phone calls by board members, staff and community partners.
Casarubias said last year more than 100 adults attended the awareness day and that teams completed 75 home visits on that kickoff date; he also recommended practical tips for families such as setting regular bedtimes and scheduling appointments outside school days.
Board members asked how attendance specialists are assigned; Casarubias explained they are assigned by cluster and are available to support every school, with extra attendance clerks added at targeted sites. President Tai thanked staff for reinstating attendance specialists.
The district framed the campaign as both preventive and instructional: officials said it seeks to keep children connected to school and to mitigate long-term negative outcomes tied to chronic absence.