MCPS sees attendance gains but flags weather and rhetoric; district in CCEIS for disproportional suspensions

Montgomery County Public Schools staff briefed the strategic planning committee on two interrelated challenges: chronic absenteeism trends and disciplinary disproportionality.

Steve Neff, director of pupil personnel and attendant services, presented unofficial dashboard pulls showing overall reductions in chronic absenteeism since 2022–23 but noted volatility: a recent pull showed about 40 schools with 25% or more of students chronically absent at one snapshot, and the district had made larger gains among preK–8 than at the high‑school level. Neff defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of enrolled days (roughly two days a month or 18 days a typical school year) and said the figure is fluid around assessment windows. He flagged a recent weather event and political rhetoric as possible drivers of short‑term increases in absence among immigrant families.

Neff described the district's multi‑strategy approach: positive student messaging (including student video testimonials), automated family notifications via Remind and Synergy, frequent data monitoring via a chronic‑absenteeism dashboard, student well‑being teams conducting targeted outreach, and school‑level problem solving to tailor interventions. He said there is no single "silver bullet," and emphasized a relational, supportive approach rather than immediate punitive measures.

Shauna Kjorambi, director of student engagement and behavioral health, and Brenda Brown summarized discipline data and interventions. Kjorambi said MCPS has had a relatively low overall suspension rate (~1.4%) but still records about 3,000 suspensions annually across categories. She identified three focal lenses: discretionary suspensions (most susceptible to subjective bias), disparities by demographic and service groups (for example, students receiving free and reduced price meals), and state‑defined disproportionate suspensions of Black or African American students with IEPs. Kjorambi reported noticeable reductions in some discretionary categories (for example, large drops in disrespect suspensions) that staff attribute to monitoring and messaging changes.

Brenda Brown outlined CCEIS (Comprehensive, Coordinated, Early Intervening Services) work required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. MCPS is in CCEIS status for over‑identifying and over‑suspending Black students with IEPs; Brown described policy reviews (code of conduct, FBAs/BIPs), professional learning in de‑escalation and restorative practices, relationship mapping to identify trusted adults for students, a summer initiative to build foundational relationships, and grant goals focused on reducing total suspensions and repeat removals.

Board members requested disaggregated breakdowns by school level (elementary/middle/high), evidence on outcomes from schools that self‑fund full‑time restorative staff, more clarity on hate‑bias coding (which attaches to other offense codes), and return visits with deeper data and time for discussion.