PVPUSD adopts attendance-awareness resolution, outlines campaign to cut chronic absenteeism

The Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education on Sept. 11 unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month and approved a multi-pronged campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Board members said staff will expand communications, issue personalized letters to grade spans with high absenteeism, train principals and site teams to use district analytics and pursue early interventions for students at risk of missing 10% or more of school days. Superintendent Dr Sano said the district will use its Aries analytics dashboard to identify subgroups and improve early outreach.

"If they are not in school they are not learning," Dr Wildy said while introducing the campaign, adding the district will send targeted messages before long weekends and minimum days and create short videos to highlight attendance importance.

The presentation noted the district’s overall attendance remained high historically but that chronic absenteeism stands at about 12.4%. Board members and staff said the campaign balances prevention with supportive interventions rather than punitive measures.

Board President Gandhi called for uniformity in letters and better principal training; board member Hamill said the effort should aim to return attendance levels to pre-COVID norms. Staff recommended consistent site goals and use of a district counselor on special assignment to coordinate SARB and early-warning activities.

The board voted 5-0 to approve the resolution and the proposed outreach and monitoring steps. The resolution commits the district to engage students, families and community partners, expand data monitoring and establish goals to track progress.

Next steps: staff will continue principal training, refine attendance letters and report back on early indicators and interventions.