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Greenville district outlines plan to cut chronic absenteeism, proposes cross‑stakeholder task force
Summary
District attendance lead Dr. Skipper told the board the district’s chronic‑absentee rate fell to 19% this year and outlined supports — attendance supervisors, bilingual staff, social workers, transportation and the My Prime program — and proposed a district task force to identify further strategies.
Dr. Brian Skipper, the district’s attendance lead, told the Greenville County Board of Trustees at its May Committee of the Whole meeting that chronic absenteeism — defined by the district as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason — remains a significant barrier to student achievement and social‑emotional well‑being.
“Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of school days regardless of the reason,” Dr. Skipper said. “This past year, we were down to 19%,” he added, placing the district below state and national figures for the most recent year but above the district’s strategic goal.
Why it matters: the presentation tied absenteeism to learning losses and longer‑term outcomes, citing research that early absences reduce the likelihood a child is on grade level in reading by third grade and that chronically absent students are more likely to drop out. The board’s strategic plan sets a target chronic‑absentee rate…
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