Spotsylvania's attendance liaisons credited with lowering chronic absenteeism to 16.89%

Spotsylvania County Public Schools staff reported measurable reductions in chronic absenteeism after deploying school-based attendance liaisons and data-driven interventions.

Shannon Wingert, supervisor of elementary counseling and the liaison program lead, presented division data showing chronic absenteeism at 16.89 percent (unadjusted) and noted the rate has fallen from roughly 19.5 percent earlier in the school year. Wingert described a multi-tiered approach: attendance liaisons working with school teams (nurses, counselors, social workers and athletic directors), targeted recovery sessions overseen by licensed staff, incentives, and small‑group outreach tied to student survey data. She said these efforts are intentional and data‑informed and credited specific school pilots, including Post Oak and Thornburg middle schools, where mentor programs and targeted incentives produced measurable improvement.

Wingert said operational next steps include fully staffing the eight current attendance liaisons in the budget, seeking grant funds to expand the model to additional schools, and providing professional development for school‑based mental‑health staff on school refusal and recovery practices. "Our attendance numbers are coming down," she told the board, and staff expects further gains after recovery options are recorded and accounted for in state reporting.

Board members expressed strong support; Miss Rodis called the improvement "staggering" and thanked staff for the work, while student board member Cora Shields highlighted student engagement and distributed contact information for the student school board email.

What's next: Staff will continue to operationalize attendance liaisons, pursue grant funding to expand the model, and provide follow-up reports to the board.