River Falls leaders press attendance focus after midyear data shows 8% chronically absent

River Falls School District Superintendent Dr. Sherman told the school board on March that the district considers students chronically absent if they miss more than 10% of school days and recorded just over 8% of students meeting that definition in the 2023–24 school year.

The superintendent said overall district attendance rates were “a little over 95%” but that chronic absence is the metric the district tracks most closely because it predicts diminished academic progress. “We see that as a really important trigger point,” Dr. Sherman said.

The district outlined a continuum of supports it applies before referring families to court, describing the courts as a last resort and saying the district is required to report truancy when statutory thresholds are met. School-level strategies include a student success coach role, leadership classes for at-risk students, home visits in coordination with families and co-located or school-based mental-health supports.

River Falls High School’s approach, the superintendent said, centers on a named student success coach, two assistant principals who monitor attendance, and programs to build school culture and student buy-in. “We are providing intensive support around how we monitor their absences, how we coach them and families around some of the issues that are the core issues of why students are absent,” the superintendent said, describing home visits and coaching as parts of that work.

District staff reported measurable interim results for students receiving targeted supports: 73% of students who received intensive attendance supports showed improved attendance, and 79% of those students showed improvement in grades, with an average grade-point increase of about 0.5. The board discussion emphasized that those gains also tied to higher co‑curricular participation and students’ self-reported sense of belonging.

On policy and process, the board heard that the district’s attendance policy (identified in the meeting as policy 4 31) aligns with state statute and sets specific documentation rules. Under the described procedures, parents may excuse up to four illness days per semester by phone; after that, a physician’s note is required. Families may prearrange up to 10 days of absence per school year. The district described the distinction between excused and unexcused absences and said a student becomes a “habitual truant” when absent without excuse for part or all of five days, which can trigger a referral to municipal or county truancy court.

Board members asked for clarification about who conducts home visits; staff present named the student success coach or assistant principals. The superintendent reiterated that the district’s goal is to intervene before court involvement is required and to work as a school-family partnership.

The board asked staff to continue reporting outcomes and invited ongoing discussion of transition supports for students moving from elementary to middle and from middle to high school — periods the district identified as high-risk for attendance decline.

Provenance: Transcript segments beginning at s=2511.11 covering the superintendent’s report on attendance through s=3247.1802, where the discussion of policy mechanics and court referral concluded.