Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Attendance And Transitions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board debates attendance goals and transitions as district attendance rises but gaps remain
Summary
Staff reported attendance is improving toward pre‑COVID levels but disparities persist (low‑income, Hispanic/Latino, gender x, special programs); board members discussed root causes (transportation, childcare, mental health, pandemic habit changes) and staff described tiered supports, translated registration forms and transition checklists for sixth and ninth graders.
District staff showed attendance trends comparing Northshore with Washington State and peer districts, reporting improvement since pandemic lows but not a full return to 2018–19 pre‑COVID levels. Presenters noted a new pre‑COVID column in the dashboard and flagged measurable disparities by ethnicity, gender x classification and program groups.
An attendance‑focused presenter outlined tiered strategies: universal (tier 1) practices, tier 2 family work and targeted supports, and tier 3 interventions including truancy identification and referrals. The transcript records the district’s definition of truancy used in practice: seven unexcused absences in a month or 15 in a year, and the use of attendance contracts, robocalls/text messaging to families, translation services for communication, WARNs (Washington assessment of risk and needs) for students 13 and older, and alternative placement options (North Shore online, home hospital, SAS referrals) when appropriate.
Board members raised tradeoffs around pursuing a 95% attendance target: several said they worry that raising pressure to be present could encourage students to come to school sick; others highlighted pandemic‑era habit changes and inequities (transportation, childcare, family work obligations, nutrition and housing stability) as drivers of the observed ethnic and income gaps. Staff clarified the state does not impose a specific attendance percentage penalty but can place districts under scrutiny for large disparities; chronic absenteeism and student withdrawals carry other consequences.
Dr. Riley and other staff emphasized transition work to support sixth‑ and ninth‑grade students: cross‑level counseling collaboration, transition checklists, translated middle‑school registration forms, increased in‑school affinity groups and early outreach to families to reduce barriers. Board members asked for earlier communications about summer work, band camp and athletic tryouts for incoming high‑school students.
No formal vote occurred; presenters recommended continued MTSS‑aligned supports, data nuance in goal setting, and targeted tiered interventions.
