Council Bluffs outlines new attendance campaign after 3% drop in chronic absenteeism

District officials told the Council Bluffs Community School District Board of Education they reduced chronic absenteeism districtwide by 3 percentage points last year — representing about 250 students — and unveiled a refreshed attendance campaign for 2025–26.

Tim Hamilton, district staff leading attendance efforts, said chronic absenteeism fell by 3 percent, with the greatest improvement at the secondary level. "That 3% means about 250 kids who are chronically absent the year before were not chronically absent last school year," Hamilton said.

Hamilton and colleagues described the new campaign slogan: "Attend today, achieve more tomorrow — all day, every day." The refreshed approach preserves last year’s district supports (monthly parent letters, incentives, community publicity) and adds school-level tactics including postcards sent to students who miss days, school-specific stickers and banners, expanded incentives that include family prizes, and partnerships with local businesses such as Hy-Vee for quarter-end incentives.

Secondary strategies highlighted a weekly review of attendance data, root-cause conversations with students and families, and targeted interventions such as a "knock and talk" home-visit effort to support incoming ninth-graders. The district noted it uses multi-tiered supports and the Attendance Works four-step process to guide school plans.

Communications staff described broadcast and social-media outreach — video series featuring students, a billboard scheduled to run beginning on the 15th of the month, and local TV coverage — and said a rotating school-based health clinic helps address immediate barriers to attendance by providing on-site appointments.

Board members asked whether changes to state rules on excused absences would alter referral practices; staff said limited exempt categories (military, funerals, etc.) are unlikely to substantially change district counting but may affect when attendance is referred to the county attorney. The district's stated district goal remains that 80 percent of students attend at least 90 percent of days; staff said current district-level attendance is slightly above 77 percent.

Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism correlates with lower graduation and learning outcomes; district leaders framed the campaign as a combination of school-level relationship-building, targeted interventions and community incentives.

No formal vote was taken on the campaign; staff said implementation is underway.