Albany County School District #1 reports attendance gains; district emphasizes outreach over punitive letters

Albany County School District #1 officials told the board during a work session that districtwide attendance has improved compared with the years immediately after the COVID‑19 disruption, and that staff are prioritizing outreach and supports over automatic punitive letters to families.

The presentation, led by a district staff member identified in the transcript as Mr. Lewis, compared pre‑COVID attendance (the 2018‑19 school year) with the district's most recent three years and described how the district now emphasizes communication and problem‑solving with families before pursuing referrals or court petitions.

District staff said the districtwide attendance rate was 93 percent in 2018‑19 and rose to about 94.3 percent as of the most recent data cited. The presenter explained how the district compiles attendance data from average daily membership (ADM) and average daily attendance (ADA) and noted that in the 2021‑22 school year the district’s reported ADM on a typical day was 33,306 students.

Mr. Lewis said the district has changed practices that once relied heavily on automated form letters and automatic referral after set absence thresholds. "Instead of engaging those families…