Cumberland County Schools to tighten attendance rules as chronic absenteeism rises

Cumberland County Schools officials said an updated attendance policy aimed at curbing rising chronic absenteeism will take effect in January and will limit the number of parent-written excuses and strengthen academic consequences for excessive unexcused absences.

The new rules will cap parent/guardian written notes at 10 per year, require documentation to be submitted within five days of a student’s return, and classify absences after those limits as unexcused. Students who accumulate 20 unexcused absences in a school year could face retention at K–5 and denial of course credit or reduced grades for grades 6–12; an appeal process through a student services committee and a principal’s decision is provided.

The changes come after district staff reported a sustained rise in chronic absenteeism in recent years. "If you just look at the data ... going back to 2019, 20 percent of our students were chronically absent," said Christie Newitt, school counseling coordinator for Cumberland County Schools. Newitt told the meeting that the rate rose to about 32 percent in 2021, then to about 40 percent in 2022, and was 34.5 percent most recently.

The district defined chronic absenteeism in the presentation as missing 10 percent or more of the school…