Cumberland County Schools officials on a district briefing described an updated attendance policy that will take effect in January and stressed new limits and consequences aimed at reducing chronic absenteeism.

Kristina Witt, the counseling coordinator for Cumberland County Schools, said the district’s chronic absenteeism rate rose from 20% in 2019 to as high as 40% in 2022 and is currently about 34.5%. “We believe in Cumberland County Schools that children should be in school, on time, every day,” Witt said.

The policy package the district described narrows the number of parent‑guardian written excuses and tightens record‑keeping. Under the changes, parents may submit up to 10 parent/guardian notes per year; notes must be submitted within five days of the student’s return to keep an absence excused. Absences submitted after the five‑day window or beyond the 10 allowed parent notes will be recorded as unexcused, the presenters said.

Pamela Story, the district’s school social work coordinator, said the district is keeping exemptions for students with chronic medical conditions and will continue restorative interventions, including home visits and referrals to community resources. “We are not punitive. We’re restorative,” Story said, describing the district’s approach and the truancy mediation council (TMC) that seeks noncriminal interventions before court involvement.

Officials described academic consequences tied to attendance. For elementary students (K–5) the district said exceeding 10 unexcused absences in a semester or accumulating 20 unexcused absences in a year may place a student at risk of retention; for grades 6–12 excessive absences can lead to denial of course credit or lowered grades. Students and families are to be notified and may file appeals to a student services committee; the committee makes a recommendation to the principal, who makes the final decision.

The district also plans to make the state compulsory attendance requirements more visible in local policy documents. Witt said the revised policy will spell out notification thresholds (after three, six and 10 absences) in the local handbook rather than only linking to a state website.

Cumberland County Schools said it has expanded interventions and partnerships to reduce absences: hiring a truancy support specialist, weekly attendance reports run by school social workers, home visits by counselors and social workers, engagement with law enforcement and the Department of Social Services when appropriate, and the district’s "Every Minute Counts" attendance campaign. Beverly Young, identified by presenters as the district’s truancy support specialist, was described as conducting outreach and mediation with families.

The Truancy Mediation Council meets monthly at the Cumberland County Courthouse on the third Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the district listed January 10 as the next scheduled meeting date. Presenters said the council and other supports are intended to reduce the number of families that escalate to magistrate hearings, noting that magistrates have in some cases issued warrants for parents after repeated noncompliance with state compulsory attendance law.

District staff framed the policy change as part of a coordinated, countywide effort. Witt and Story asked school community members to act as ambassadors to promote attendance and to help connect families with resources. They also noted transportation barriers, immunization timing changes and mental‑health needs as factors contributing to absences.

The revised attendance policy was described by presenters as having been approved by the board in November and will be implemented in January; the briefing did not record a roll‑call vote or the board motion text.

Officials encouraged families with questions to contact their school’s student services team; the district emphasized that appeals and exemptions (including for chronic medical conditions) remain part of the process.