Manchester district: January attendance dipped amid illnesses; pre‑K data accuracy flagged

Assistant Superintendent Rand Stough told the Committee on Student Conduct on Feb. 19 that January was “a tough month” for attendance because of widespread illness, with some schools sending home 15 to 30 students in a day for stomach bugs, influenza and related illnesses.

Stough said year‑over‑year attendance remains above last year’s levels: elementary schools are up about 4% and high schools are up about 3% despite the January dip. He attributed month‑to‑month drops to seasonal illness patterns in January and February but said the district remains “headed in the right direction.”

Stough flagged pre‑K attendance reporting as unreliable because preschoolers attend on four‑day schedules while Aspen’s calculations treat them as if they attend five days a week; he said he “does not have confidence in the accuracy of that data” and that the district is hesitant to change the state-facing attendance configuration without assurance it will not affect state reporting.

Committee members urged targeted messaging to preschool and kindergarten families explaining the importance of early attendance. Several committee members and Stough described ongoing “positive attendance” campaigns, school-level incentives and outreach to families as the district’s primary strategy to reduce excused absences and shift attendance culture.

Stough also described the district’s two‑pronged approach to chronic absenteeism: statutory truancy processes for unexcused absences (including stepwise family communications at 5, 10 and 15 unexcused days and referral to DCYF for educational neglect at 20 unexcused days) and positive attendance work to address excused‑absence patterns. He said a change to district practice this year instructs schools that when a pattern of roughly 20 excused absences is reached, schools should ask for medical verification and, where appropriate, use school nurses to verify illness and support families before requiring outside medical documentation.

Committee members asked about the relationship between past “fail class” attendance rules and current practice. Stough said district data did not show improved attendance under the older punitive rule and added that interventions are a mix of policy, teaching-and-learning measures and individual family outreach. Assistant Superintendent Doherty confirmed the item discussed by the committee will appear on the full board consent agenda next week with associated teaching-and-learning material for review.

Committee members asked for more targeted pre‑K/kindergarten outreach next year and urged continued emphasis on consistent school‑level follow-up when patterns of chronic absence emerge.