Parkside Middle outlines attendance push; targets 3% rise in students attending 90% of days

Parkside Middle School Principal Scott Schuchsta and assistant principals told the Committee on Student Conduct on March 19 that the school is pursuing a targeted attendance plan to raise the share of students attending at least 90% of school days.

Parkside set a goal to increase the percentage of students attending 90% of the time by 3 percentage points — from 69.3% to 71.3% — and to raise average daily membership (ADM) from about 90% to 93.6% this year, Schuchsta said.

"Attending school is such an important thing for their future success," Schuchsta said, noting the team frames the work as building habits that support long-term outcomes. The school's approaches combine incentives, family outreach, and targeted interventions.

Nut graf: Parkside staff described a multipronged effort — including team attendance competitions, a 100-day perfect-attendance celebration, home visits, weekly truancy team reviews, monthly truancy meetings…