South Kitsap outlines expanded MTSS attendance plan as truancy petitions climb

South Kitsap School District officials on Dec. 18 presented an expanded multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) aimed at improving student attendance, saying the district has rebuilt universal supports and is adding more targeted and intensive interventions to address chronic absenteeism.

Tom Edwards, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said the district is approaching year two of a three-plus year implementation and reported sharp pandemic-era declines in attendance: "we had almost 2 out of 4 students, chronically absent," he told the board as staff outlined data and next steps. Edwards said the district adopted a baseline and target last year and has rolled out a 24-25 implementation rubric to make tiered supports more concrete.

Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism affects learning and other supports the district offers. Presenters framed the effort as a combination of classroom-level practices, school-based interventions and county-level partnerships to reconnect students to school and services.

What staff presented: The MTSS plan is structured in three tiers. - Tier 1 covers universal, low-cost strategies for all students and families: staff training, parent and student education, publicizing attendance data, daily monitoring and positive reinforcements such as reader boards, classroom incentives and district automated attendance letters. Presenters said those measures helped move the district from 62% of students with strong attendance at the end of last year to about 69% in December, with a year-end target of 75%. - Tier 2 focuses on targeted small-group interventions and monitoring using Skyward and homeroom data, and encourages teacher outreach after three unexcused absences to build belonging and reengage students. - Tier 3 covers individualized, resource-intensive supports for students missing many days; staff said the team first tries wraparound supports and only then moves into the state's truancy process when interventions fail.

District context and numbers: Presenters reported that Kitsap County had 74 active truancy petitions as of last week, and that 54 of those originated with South Kitsap School District; staff described that as evidence the district is actively using the statutory process to support chronically absent students. They also highlighted administrative work to standardize attendance coding in Skyward and to create a one-stop SKSD attendance guide for staff.

On statutory triggers: Staff explained that the BECCA-related process is triggered by seven unexcused absences in a month or 15 unexcused absences during a school year, after which schools are expected to escalate through community engagement boards, a truancy workshop and, if necessary, court proceedings.

Partnerships and supports: District staff described community engagement boards that include partners from social services, mental-health providers and nonprofit organizations (for example, Communities in Schools, Salvation Army and Goodwill) to create practical plans with families. Staff also credited Kitsap County Juvenile Court staff for revised procedures that emphasize community-based supports before court.

Board questions and concerns: Board members asked about the scale of family and mental-health barriers, patterns by grade level (staff said high-school grades show the highest chronic absenteeism), and whether some districts avoid filing petitions by excusing absences. Staff said the district has worked to reduce inconsistent excusing of absences and to retrain families about what counts as an excused absence.

A presenter emphasized the human side of the work: community engagement boards ask students and parents to commit to concrete steps (for example, consistent bedtimes, turning off devices, and transportation plans) and then follow up; staff reported substantial attendance improvements for many students after those meetings.

Next steps: The board thanked presenters and asked for continued data updates; the meeting was adjourned and the next board meeting was announced for Jan. 15, 2025.

Sources: Presentation and Q&A by district staff, including Tom Edwards, and school leaders at the South Kitsap School District board meeting on Dec. 18, 2024.