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Winter attendance dip blamed on illness and other causes; virtual school shows mixed outcomes
Summary
District staff reported a mid‑winter drop in attendance and sharp increases in illness‑related absences; the virtual program shows high variance with some students passing classes while others have low engagement, prompting home visits and new intervention plans.
District attendance staff told the board that attendance dipped from trimester 1 to trimester 2 and that illness was a major contributor.
"We saw a 41% increase in excused absences, a 90% increase in illness absences, a 63% increase in other absences, and a 65% increase in unexcused absences," CJ said, urging that the district interpret the data, investigate causes and coordinate community partners to reverse the trend.
Board members and principals said the district typically sees a mid‑winter attendance dip related to illness, travel and weather; several schools also flagged fear and community events (including immigration enforcement activity) as localized drivers of absence in particular communities.
Donna, who leads the district’s alternative and virtual programs, described how virtual enrollment can mix very different student profiles: some virtual students perform well (often with strong family support and computer literacy), while others are disengaged. She noted a recurring administrative challenge: by law attendance must be logged during school hours even when some students do assigned work at night or on weekends, producing cases where students are academically passing yet show "negative attendance" in district systems because their work occurs outside required attendance windows.
The district is taking operational steps: targeted home visits for off‑pace virtual students, academic success plans, a tiered intervention system with teacher access times, and increased use of youth outreach staff where available. Board members raised resource questions about scaling case management and small‑group supports during budget season.
District leaders said they will continue monitoring trimester‑3 attendance and will bring updated intervention outcomes and resource requests to the board.
