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Petersburg schools push 'Every Day in May' campaign after dip in chronic absenteeism
Summary
School officials told the board May 6 that division chronic absenteeism fell from 37.87% (end of 2024–25) to 31.5% as of April 28; they launched an 'Every Day in May' attendance campaign with incentives (gift cards, PS5, weekly pop-up visits) aimed at boosting attendance during testing and closing weeks of the year.
Petersburg City Public Schools briefed the school board May 6 on progress reducing chronic absenteeism and outlined a short-term incentive campaign aimed at getting students to school during testing and the final weeks of the year.
Dr. Yasmin Gay, chief of staff, defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days and said the division’s target is a 3-percentage-point reduction from last year. "Our goal is to reduce chronic absenteeism by 3% of last year's percentage," she told the board, and reported a drop from 37.87% at the end of 2024–25 to 31.5% as of April 28, 2026.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tori Manson explained recruitment time (three hours of in-person make-up instruction outside normal hours) and noted that recruitment time will be included in the final state submission; current April figures exclude some recouped time. She then laid out the "Every Day in May" campaign: incentives for students and parents, prize tiers (monthly gift-card bundles of roughly $100, a $250 gift card for perfect monthly attendance, PS5 donations for consistent attendees), weekly unannounced "pop-up" visits to reward attending students, and parent raffles ($25–$100 gift cards suggested by staff).
School-level data reviewed by staff showed that, across most schools, chronic absenteeism decreased year over year with exceptions at two campuses. Dr. Manson said the division’s internal target for average daily attendance is 95%; the division stood at about 91% on April 28.
Board members and staff discussed operational details, including how many prizes are available (staff reported they are still collecting donations and working to expand the pool) and targeting for Monday attendance dips. Trustees asked staff to pursue additional Monday outreach and coordinate with city partners for post–Memorial Day support.
What happens next: The division will continue the three-week push, deploy weekly pop-up rewards, pursue donated incentives and report back on attendance changes; staff emphasized that testing participation and end-of-year attendance affect state reporting.
