Midland ISD outlines steps to curb chronic absenteeism and improve parent communication
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Summary
District staff told trustees about a rise in attendance (95.01% year‑to‑date), clarified definitions of chronic absenteeism and truancy, and described new processes — automated warnings, AIP meetings, streamlined truancy filings and GoGuardian Parent access — intended to improve attendance and parent engagement.
Midland ISD administrators delivered an informational report on student attendance at the Sept. 16 board meeting, saying the district has identified chronic absenteeism and inconsistent intervention plans as primary challenges.
Officials defined terms: chronic absenteeism occurs when a student misses 10% or more of the school year for any reason, while truancy is defined as 10 or more unexcused days in a six‑month period and can lead to court filings. The district reported year‑to‑date attendance at 95.01%, up from 94.8% at the same point last year.
District responses: Staff described an attendance pipeline that includes automatically generated warning letters at 3, 5, 7 and 10 absences; assistant principals conduct formal meetings at 7 unexcused absences to develop an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP); truancy filings occur after continued unexcused absences with court dates following within weeks. Administrators said they met with multiple truancy judges to standardize filing procedures and removed a prior home‑visit requirement for safety reasons, relying instead on constable visits when needed.
Parent tools and monitoring: The district said it has started or expanded parent access to GoGuardian Parent so families can see students' classroom app usage and limit after‑hours Internet access if they choose. Campuses now receive weekly attendance reports and a staff member (Miss Glenn) has been added to the school leadership team to provide targeted on‑campus support for attendance issues.
Data and requests: Trustees asked whether there is evidence that truancy filings lead to improved attendance; staff said historical quantitative analysis was not available but they will begin collecting that data going forward. Trustees also asked about transportation and bus‑stop distances; staff said transportation can be a factor in attendance and noted it was among several common reasons families cited during outreach.
Ending: Administration said the district is monitoring attendance weekly, coordinating with truancy courts and offering parents more avenues to track and respond to student attendance. Trustees asked staff to continue refining data collection and to bring evidence on the effectiveness of truancy filings once available.