Audit committee accepts student attendance audit that flags inconsistent documentation and rising chronic absenteeism

The Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools Audit Committee on Feb. 6 accepted an audit of student attendance that found widespread inconsistency in how schools record and document attendance and urged the district to standardize procedures, improve monitoring and strengthen follow-up for chronically absent students.

The audit, conducted for fiscal year 2023–24, examined district policies and procedures for in-person and virtual attendance, the operation and documentation of school attendance committees, and factors driving student absenteeism. The audit team reported that the district is in compliance with written policy but that implementation and recordkeeping vary across schools.

Auditors said chronic absenteeism has not returned to pre-pandemic levels and that gaps in documentation limit the district’s ability to verify steps taken to intervene. The report said that of 53 requested copies of five-day attendance letters (letters triggered after five unexcused absences), only two were available; attendance committee meeting records were complete for 44 of 126 meetings requested and entirely missing for 55; and several schools recorded attendance differently between in-person and e-learning days. The audit also found attendance recording rates differ by level: in sampled elementary/K–8 homeroom teachers recorded attendance daily in two-thirds of cases, while only 37% of sampled secondary teachers recorded attendance for every block over a two-week period.

"I fully own the results of this audit, and we have to do better," Dr. Watts said at the committee meeting when introducing the findings. Auditor Jack summarized the audit objectives and observations, noting inconsistent implementation, gaps in documentation and a need to identify attendance drivers and district supports.

Committee members and district staff discussed the practical burdens of weekly attendance-team meetings and whether documentation could be streamlined without losing accountability. Chief Academic Officer Derek Butler described variation in how schools run weekly attendance teams, saying some teams rotate which students they review so different staff focus on different subsets. Raymond Barnes, chief of schools, said the weekly meetings and action planning are taking place in schools but that "documentation of those actions is where we need to tighten up and the monitoring of that."

Board members pressed whether the attendance numbers are accurate or inflated by recordkeeping gaps. One committee member noted a 34% drop in high school attendance versus pre-pandemic levels cited in the report and called that decline "alarming." Auditors and staff agreed the documented decline is real compared with pre-pandemic levels but said inconsistent recording makes precise measurement of the problem more difficult.

The audit offered recommendations including: create an online training module for staff about attendance documentation requirements; develop written procedures to monitor teacher recording of attendance (particularly on e-learning days); identify strategies to increase frequency of attendance recording at secondary schools; review use of attendance waivers under board policy JBA; standardize attendance-committee documentation and consider retaining that documentation beyond the current school year; and establish systems for district-level support and supervision of attendance committees. The report also recommended integrating external stakeholders, such as business ambassadors, to bolster attendance incentives.

Committee members voted to accept the audit and forward it to the Board of Education for final action. The motion to adopt the audit was moved and seconded and recorded as accepted by voice vote.

The audit report states management has begun steps to address recommendations and set a timeline for broader rollout; staff said some resources and guidance have already been provided and that change management and consistent use of tools across schools is the work ahead.

The committee discussion indicated follow-up will include more frequent internal monitoring using the district’s attendance dashboards and a plan to standardize documentation and training so principals and district staff can track interventions and outcomes more reliably.