Milpitas Unified reports 96.68% year-to-date attendance; staff to review independent-study policy

A district staff member said Milpitas Unified School District’s year-to-date average daily attendance is 96.68% and pledged a report to the board at the end of the school year analyzing how the district’s independent-study policy has affected attendance and chronic absenteeism.

The staff member said the district is aiming for a 97% average daily attendance goal and noted that, "That's pretty damn good," referring to the 96.68% figure. The staff member compared the year-to-date rate with an August figure reported as about 97.4% and said current-month averages have "dropped a tad bit," which the staff member attributed to illness, early vacations and students not returning independent-study assignments.

The staff member said the independent-study policy will reach its three-year mark at the end of the school year and that the forthcoming report will analyze whether attendance and chronic absenteeism have been affected "positively or negatively by the new policy and other aspects around attendance." The staff member did not provide a date for when the board would receive the report beyond saying it will come at the end of the school year.

The district encouraged students to prioritize attendance, saying some classroom opportunities, conversations and collaborative learning "you can never make up" outside class. The staff member urged students to rest, eat well and obtain immunizations as part of efforts to limit illness-related absences.

Next steps: staff will prepare and present the three-year independent-study policy analysis to the board after the school year concludes; no formal policy change or board action was recorded in the transcript.