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Middlesex schools report drop in chronic absenteeism; superintendent outlines AI policy, budget prep and bus-safety options
Summary
An administrator reported chronic absenteeism fell from about 20% to 14% this year, while the superintendent described work on AI policy and budget planning and said an initial quote to outfit buses with cameras to capture license plates is about $120,000, with the district exploring phased or lower-cost alternatives and an education campaign.
District administrators told the board that chronic absenteeism is improving and described next steps the district plans to take.
"Last year 20 percent of our students were considered chronically absent... This year we're trending at 14 percent," an administrator reported, noting the district is using incentives, lessons on hygiene, parent communication and targeted attendance meetings to reduce missed school days. The presentation detailed grade-level patterns (kindergarten had the highest chronic-absence rate at about 18%) and said November daily attendance was 93.3 percent compared with 92.6 percent the prior year.
In the superintendent's report, the superintendent said the district is drafting a policy and regulations on generative artificial intelligence for staff and students, preparing budget planning in advance of the governor's amendments, and developing the 2025-26 calendar for board review. On bus safety, the superintendent said an initial vendor quote to outfit buses with license-plate-capture cameras was about $120,000; the district is exploring grants, phased rollout or lower-cost manual-review alternatives and will begin an education campaign reminding drivers to stop for school buses.
The board voted to enter a closed session later in the meeting to discuss personnel, student and legal matters; members certified by roll call afterward that only lawful matters were discussed.
