Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Committee hears wide-ranging plan to reduce chronic absenteeism; calls for data sharing and a city‑school work group
Summary
Supervisors heard presentations from Attendance Works, the state Attorney General's office, SFUSD, First 5, DCYF, Hope SF and community providers about chronic absenteeism. The committee emphasized data-sharing, family outreach, early intervention starting in preschool, and proposed an OCOF ad hoc work group to produce a six‑month plan.
Supervisor Norman Yee convened a hearing focused on chronic absenteeism in the San Francisco Unified School District, defining the issue as missing 10 percent or more of school days and emphasizing the long‑term consequences for graduation and achievement. "If 40% of our elementary schools and 67% of our high schools have rates of chronic absenteeism above 11 percent, we need to act now," he said.
National and state experts framed the problem and the solutions. Hetty Chang of Attendance Works described chronic absence as an early warning sign: students missing significant days in preschool and kindergarten are far less likely to read on grade level by third grade. "When kids miss too much school starting in preschool, by second grade they're off track for reading," she said, recommending tiered…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
