York County reports lower chronic absenteeism, details check‑and‑connect pilot and flexible instructional recovery
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Summary
Officials said chronic absenteeism dropped to 9.94% in FY25 and Q1 attendance is nearly 96%; the division described interventions including student connection coaches, Check & Connect pilot mentorship, and flexible in‑person instructional recovery to help students make up lost instructional time.
York County’s student‑services leaders reported declines in chronic absenteeism and described a suite of interventions at the school board’s Nov. 10 work session, saying the division reduced its FY25 chronic‑absence rate to 9.94% and that first‑quarter attendance for the current year is near 96%.
"We were able to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate for the division from 14.87 percent back in the FY23 school year down to 9.94 percent for the FY25 school year," Dr. Aaron Butler, director of student services, told the board.
Staff reviewed federal and state accountability targets, noting that ESSA‑related benchmarks have shaped division strategy. Presenters emphasized early intervention through grant‑funded student connection coaches, multidisciplinary attendance teams at each school and outreach that encourages families to submit absence notes so unexcused absences can be converted to excused ones when appropriate.
The division described a Check & Connect pilot — a mentor‑based, data‑driven intervention developed with the University of Minnesota — now in five schools and aimed at reducing high‑school dropout risk by improving attendance, behavior and student engagement. "It's literally checking and connecting," said a student‑services presenter.
Staff also explained flexible in‑person instructional recovery: short, teacher‑led sessions (two hours for elementary, three for secondary) that allow students to recover missed instructional time and potentially remove a chronic‑absence designation. Presenters stressed these sessions are instructional rather than study halls and are funded in part by grant dollars to pay teachers for the extra hours.
Quarter‑one dashboards show roughly 28% of absences remain unexcused and flagged higher absence rates among housing‑insecure students (near 40% with 10+ absences), which the division said it continues to monitor with targeted interventions and support from social workers and McKinney‑Vento liaisons.
Staff said the division will continue monthly school visits, data reviews and community‑of‑practice meetings to share strategies. Next steps include scaling Check & Connect and monitoring Q2 data for impact on chronic‑absence metrics.
