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Yelm Community Schools aims to cut chronic absenteeism after board attendance update
Summary
Dr. Lisa Peros told the school board the district’s chronic absenteeism rate stands "a little over 41%" and outlined a five-part strategy and a goal to lower that rate by 20% each year; the board will consider an attendance-policy revision at an upcoming study session and readings in May.
Dr. Lisa Peros presented a districtwide attendance update to the Yelm Community Schools board, saying the district’s chronic absenteeism rate is "a little over 41%" and that chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. She told the board the district has joined a statewide community of practice and will use evidence-based strategies to increase daily attendance.
Peros described a five-part approach the district will emphasize: a district-wide focus on attendance, warm outreach and communication to families, attention to the adults who see students first each day ("first faces" such as bus drivers and front-office staff), careful roster-level tracking of chronically absent students, and steps to re-integrate students after extended absences. She said the district has convened an attendance committee and met with front-line attendance professionals to identify practical interventions already being used at school sites.
The district has set a concrete multi-year target: to reduce chronic absenteeism by 20% each year across a five-year period. Peros said principals have already begun sharing best practices and that some schools are piloting incentives and re-engagement strategies to make school attendance more inviting for students and families.
Peros also described policy work: district staff recommended revisions to the attendance policy to address structural barriers (for example, how excused absences are handled) and said the updated policy will be discussed at a board study session next week and then brought to the board for first and second readings in May. She emphasized the district will measure progress and report to the strategic planning committee and the board.
Why it matters: school leaders said chronic absenteeism directly affects learning because students cannot benefit from instruction when they are frequently absent. The board framed the effort as a partnership with families and community providers rather than a first-line punitive approach.
What’s next: the board scheduled further discussion at a study session next week and expected to take formal policy steps in May. District staff will continue to report attendance metrics and to implement the interventions described to target students identified via roster-level tracking.
