District attendance holds above state average at 93.1%; committee proposes automated letters and outreach

District staff presented the student attendance quarterly report on Feb. 26. The district’s attendance key performance indicator currently stands at 93.1%, slightly above the state average (92.8%) and matching last year’s district rate.

Staff said the Attendance Matters committee (a cross-sector group including school social workers, Winnebago County Department of Human Services and other stakeholders) met Feb. 6 and recommended a set of operational changes: automating letters of concern (so families receive standardized messages when absences begin to accumulate), updating attendance codes to distinguish medical excused absences from other excused or unexcused absences, adding instructions for parents to excuse students through the Infinite Campus parent portal, and sending an automated notification when a student reaches three unexcused absences (the state defines habitual truancy at five unexcused absences).

Committee members also recommended examining the district’s elementary 10-minute tardy/unexcused threshold and expanding multilingual attendance outreach. The presenter noted transportation problems are a common barrier; board members suggested exploring hub-busing, expanded city-bus partnerships and student input (student councils) for outreach ideas.

Staff said they will continue to pursue automated messaging with a neighboring district that uses the same student information system, refine attendance codes and develop web resources for families. The committee will also look at expanding promotional materials and multilingual resources to reach ESOL families.

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