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Committee tightens attendance reporting as members warn chronic absenteeism 'is embarrassing'
Summary
District leaders and committee members debated chronic absenteeism rates, a stricter excused‑absence policy requiring medical notes, loss of local truancy courts and school-level interventions (Thompson reported ~80 intervention plans); speakers urged deeper family and community partnerships.
Director Andre briefed the committee on the district’s updated attendance policies and interventions, saying the administration revised how absences are classified so only documented medical reasons count as excused in many cases. The change, she said, produced a noticeable shift in the ratio of excused to unexcused absences in recent reporting.
A school committee member characterized the attendance picture bluntly: “we're the second worst district in the state,” citing rates shown in committee materials with Rogers at 36%, Thompson at 29% and PEL at 34%. Committee members described a mix of chronic‑absence patterns, including students with dozens of absences over the year and others teetering near the chronic‑absence threshold.
Staff described targeted interventions. Thompson staff were praised for creating about 80 documented intervention plans that attach a specific mentor and outreach process to chronically absent students; supports include personal phone calls, transportation assistance and follow‑up meetings with families. Committee members and staff said these school‑level interventions are necessary but insufficient without partnerships with social services and judicial supports.
Committee members noted that local truancy court efforts have been discontinued after the magistrate was promoted, leaving family court as the only judicial option. Members urged renewed outreach to state officials and the judiciary and recommended elevating attendance as a primary focus for school improvement teams.
What’s next: committee members asked staff to continue developing targeted programming, strengthen school‑based mentor and phone‑call interventions, coordinate with social services and report back on measurable attendance improvements.
