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Norwalk committee hears equity update as absenteeism and suspensions fall, graduation rates rise for Black and Hispanic students
Summary
District staff told the Board’s Inclusion and Educational Justice Committee that chronic absenteeism fell about 33% from its pandemic peak, out-of-school suspensions have declined since a state flag in 2016–17, and four-year graduation rates for Black and Hispanic students have improved since 2020.
Norwalk Public Schools staff presented a progress update on equity work to the Board of Education Ad Hoc Inclusion and Educational Justice Committee on Feb. 4, outlining declines in chronic absenteeism and discipline alongside rising graduation rates for historically underserved students.
Deputy Superintendent Sandra Fayowitz told committee members the district had reduced chronic absenteeism about 33% from its pandemic peak and continues to see disproportionate representation of Black and Hispanic students among chronically absent students. "If you are absent more than 10% of the total days…then you're chronically absent," Fayowitz said, describing the metric the district tracks.
Fayowitz said the district also has made large reductions in suspensions. She said the district was flagged by the state for over-suspending Black boys in 2016–17, and the rate of out-of-school suspensions has fallen substantially since then; "we have come down since then 57%," she said. Staff attributed the decline to both technical and adaptive changes, including a new central-office requirement that schools request…
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