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Policy committee asks staff for data on students exceeding absence thresholds before changing attendance rules
Summary
Committee reviewed attendance policy language (90% attendance, no credit after nine absences per semester), discussed differences between elementary and secondary consequences, and directed staff to provide counts of students past key absence thresholds before the board considers policy changes.
Lakeland District policy committee members reviewed attendance and truancy language and asked staff to provide data on how many students exceed district absence thresholds before proposing policy changes.
The draft attendance policy in the committee packet requires students to be present for 90 percent of class time and says "no credit will be granted to students missing more than 9 days per semester" in secondary school. Committee members said that policy language is clear for secondary students but less useful at the elementary level because elementary grades are standards-based and withholding credit is not an elementary practice.
Members discussed how absenteeism plays out across grade bands. A board member asked staff to produce counts of students who have exceeded nine absences, 18 absences, and higher thresholds at the elementary, middle and high school levels so the board can see the scale of the issue. Committee members suggested the district collect sample data (for example, how many students crossed the nine-absence mark or exceeded 18 days) and return to the board with that analysis.
Committee members emphasized that remedies differ by age. At the elementary level, chronic absenteeism can lead to significant learning gaps even when a student’s grades appear adequate; committee members discussed retention, interventions (504 plans, family engagement), remote options and benchmarks for re-entry if remote instruction is used. Staff said they will gather a sampling of attendance counts and present findings to the board before any policy modification is proposed.
No formal motion or vote was recorded; the committee agreed to table policy changes pending staff-provided data and a future board discussion.
