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District previews attendance initiative focused on messaging, partnerships and a 95% target
Summary
District leaders previewed an attendance plan emphasizing better messaging to families, building-level attendance teams, and community partnerships; the initiative will pilot procedural changes to reframe presence (present/absent) and aim for 95% attendance as an early benchmark.
District leaders gave the board a first preview of a district‑wide attendance initiative that will prioritize messaging, early outreach and community partnerships to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Presenters said research shows strong correlations between attendance and student achievement and recommended shifting emphasis away from punitive letters toward engagement with families, scripts for staff outreach, and building-level attendance teams (social workers, counselors, teachers, administrators). The district plans to move to a simpler present/absent model to focus on time in school and set 95% attendance as an aspirational target for most students.
"The less you're in school, the less well you do on the exam," a district leader said while presenting research linking attendance to test performance. Staff emphasized that changes will be phased: first-year emphasis on messaging and outreach, followed by procedural and policy work in later years. Board members expressed concern about teacher workload for catching up absent students and asked that staff include teacher input as the plan is refined.
Next steps: staff will refine the initiative with MTSS and building teams, solicit teacher feedback, pilot messaging strategies over the summer and report back to the board before a full rollout in August/September.
