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Sugar Salem district credits attendance campaign, ParentSquare and incentives for high participation
Summary
Sugar Salem School District representatives told the House Committee on Education their strategic plan and a district attendance campaign — featuring weekly tracking, rewards and ParentSquare communications — helped the district reach a high attendance rate and address chronic absenteeism.
Kristen Galbraith, chair of the Sugar Salem School District board, and Jared Jenks, the district superintendent, described the district's attendance campaign to the Idaho House Committee on Education on Feb. 18.
Sugar Salem set an attendance goal of 97% and used visible communications — posters, banners and electronic displays — weekly charts, and classroom recognition to encourage students and families. Superintendent Jenks said the district tracks attendance weekly, posts percentages on marquees and brings attendance charts to administrative meetings.
Jenks said the district is undergoing systems accreditation with Cognia and that chronic absenteeism is measured by state guidance as missing 10% or more of enrolled school days (with a minimum enrollment of 10 days); he noted that missing more than half a school day counts as an absence for that measure. The district tracks chronic absenteeism in addition to daily attendance and compares its data with state figures.
Galbraith described community engagement methods the district uses to reach families, including a district website, Facebook, regular email communications from the district and principals, a parent advisory committee that meets monthly, and the new ParentSquare platform to send targeted messages and report delivery status. She said ParentSquare allowed leaders to see whether messages reached parents and helped the district improve two-way communication.
The district also used rewards as part of the campaign: Galbraith described the superintendent dressing as a superhero to visit classrooms that met attendance targets and deliver ice cream sandwiches as a prize. Both Galbraith and Jenks said the work of tracking attendance and engaging parents is ongoing and tied to broader goals in the district's strategic planning and accreditation work.
