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 year, and noted that the state compulsory attendance law also triggers interventions beginning after six unexcused absences. "We're talking about any time a student does not go to school. Unexcused or excused, including suspensions," Newitt said.

District staff described several causes they have identified, including families not knowing available community resources, transportation gaps in outlying areas of Fayetteville, a broader culture shift since the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased mental-health and social challenges among students. The district said private schools in the county have reported similar attendance problems.

To reduce absences and steer families to support rather than punishment, the district highlighted a range of interventions. Those include a districtwide attendance campaign, increased use of Infinite Campus attendance data to spot trends, home visits by school social workers and counselors, and a truancy mediation council (TMC) that meets monthly to connect families with services. "We're not here to take anybody to jail because many times it's the children, not the parents," Newitt said, describing the TMC as a restorative alternative to court.

The district also said magistrates in some cases are issuing arrest warrants for parents under the North Carolina compulsory attendance law when earlier interventions fail. Newitt described TMC as an intervention designed to prevent escalation to court and said the council has shown results, particularly at the elementary and middle grades. The district said students with chronic health conditions will be treated separately and are excluded from these attendance sanctions.

Implementation details provided by staff included: a five-day window for submitting absence documentation after a student returns; the 10 parent-note cap; escalation to a student services review and an appeal to the principal for retention or denial of credit after 20 unexcused absences; and that the policy will apply K–12 rather than only at the high school level. The presentation said the revised policy text will include explicit references to the North Carolina compulsory attendance statute and procedural thresholds at 3, 6 and 10 absences for clarity.

The district said it hired a truancy support specialist, Beverly Young, to do family engagement and outreach, and asked community stakeholders — including law enforcement, the county department of social services, churches and other organizations — to act as ambassadors to help improve attendance. Newitt also asked that teachers accurately record daily attendance and that parents submit notes promptly to avoid ‘‘unexcused’’ markings caused by system defaults.

Board approval of the updated policy was described as occurring in November, with the rules taking effect in January; the presentation said it would not retroactively hold families accountable for absences in the current fall semester. The district announced TMC dates and said the council meets the third Friday of each month from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cumberland County Courthouse; those sessions are not open to the public because of confidentiality.

Questions raised by district staff and the presentation materials emphasized equity concerns, noting that families experiencing homelessness may have higher absenteeism because of transit and stability issues and that the district aims to apply the policy broadly and avoid disproportionate targeting of vulnerable groups.

The district asked community members to help publicize the changes and to assist outreach efforts. The policy presentation and the described support systems aim to shift the district from permissive practices adopted after the pandemic toward more structured attendance enforcement and support beginning in January.