Murphysboro administrators report falling chronic absenteeism and fewer major referrals
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Summary
High‑school chronic absenteeism decreased from 40% to 31% year‑over‑year; middle‑school chronic absenteeism improved from 47% to about 25.7% after PBIS initiatives. Administrators said failing to serve detentions and tardies remain the largest discipline challenges.
High‑school and middle‑school administrators told the Murphysboro CUSD 186 board on Jan. 26 that attendance and discipline measures are improving but that chronic absenteeism, failing to serve detentions and tardies remain priorities for intervention.
High‑school assistant administrators described their daily monitoring system: any student flagged as unexcused pops up on a Google feed, staff call parents and, when needed, bring students to the office to resolve attendance codes. Officials defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% of the school year (about 8.5 days of a 180‑day calendar). They reported the high‑school rate fell from 40% in 2023–24 to 31% the prior year, and current point‑in‑time counts declined from 149 to 137 students at the same point in the school year. The administrators said 19 students remain a focal caseload for daily outreach.
On discipline, staff told trustees that the largest category of referrals relates to "failure to serve" assigned detentions; after changes to the handbook and consequences, the number of service events fell from 113 in quarter one to 69 in quarter two. Administrators also highlighted tardies as an ongoing concern; their program treats repeated tardiness as a progressive referral, and they use incentives such as a monthly "tardy party" for classes that improve punctuality.
Middle‑school staff reported a sharper improvement in chronic absenteeism, from 47% in 2022–23 to about 25.7% currently, attributing the change to PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), consistent parent outreach and morning SEL messages. The middle school has used incentives (food rewards, simple contests and a 10‑day tardy challenge) and student input on music cues to reduce tardies.
Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism correlates with lower academic achievement; administrators framed the improvements as early evidence that daily outreach and PBIS incentives can yield attendance gains. Trustees asked clarifying questions about how many absences count as chronic and which absences are excused; administrators explained the 10% threshold includes excused and unexcused absences and that some students with high excused‑absence counts require different outreach.
What happens next: Administrators will continue daily monitoring, expand targeted outreach for the small group of high‑risk students, and report back on whether revised handbook enforcement and incentive strategies further reduce detentions and tardies.