Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Attendance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mercer County officials say chronic absenteeism dropped in recent months as targeted home visits and data tracking expanded
Summary
Officials told the Mercer County Board of Education that month‑to‑month chronic absenteeism fell sharply with the county ‘‘on track’’ year‑to‑date, crediting home visits, school social workers and a live data wall that identifies at‑risk students.
Chair and district staff reported the county has seen marked improvement in chronic absenteeism this school year.
At the March 23 special session Mr. Lippincott (staff member) presented a six‑month comparison and said the district’s month snapshot fell “from 31.51% on the sixth month of last year to 13.68% this year, which was a 17.83% improvement for this month alone.” He added the year‑to‑date chronic‑absence rate is “somewhere around 14 and a half percent.”
Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism—defined in the meeting as missing 10% or more of the school year—reduces instructional time and correlates with lower academic outcomes. Board members pressed staff about what triggers intervention and how the district measures progress.
What district staff said: The district described several tactics credited with the drop: live data available to principals and teachers; targeted interventions by school support staff; home visits; and stronger principal follow‑up. “Within 8 to 10 days, things start ramping up and then the principals are reaching out,” Mr. Lippincott said, describing the referral pathway from teacher to principal to central office follow‑up.
Board questions and clarifications: Members asked whether extracurricular activities (band/choir) count against attendance; staff clarified activities tied to school functions are not counted as absences. Board members also requested breakdowns by grade and school; staff said they would try to produce grade‑level and school‑level data where the reporting system allows.
Next steps: Staff said they will continue home visits and targeted outreach and will bring more granular reports to upcoming meetings so the board can assess trends by school and grade.
Ending: The board did not take a formal vote on policy changes; the discussion closed with members asking for further data and for staff to continue targeted interventions.
