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Elmwood Park board hears attendance and SEL progress; schools report falling chronic absenteeism
Summary
Board goal updates highlighted district efforts on SEL, MTSS and attendance. Administrators described daily SEL advisories, MARO mental‑health screening and school-level attendance incentives tied to measurable reductions in chronic absenteeism at some schools.
Administrators at the Elmwood Park CUSD 401 board meeting presented a year‑end update on board goals that placed particular emphasis on social‑emotional learning, multi‑tiered systems of support and attendance interventions.
Dr. Gautje opened the board‑goal section and district staff outlined actions intended to boost postsecondary readiness, align curriculum to Illinois standards and expand supports for diverse learners. The SEL and MTSS updates included use of SEL screeners, advisories at EPHS, a district SEL committee to be reestablished, re‑launch of the Second Step tier‑1 curriculum (K–8) and implementation of MARO as a mental‑health screener for grades 4–8 ahead of the 2027 Illinois state mental‑health requirement.
Several school leaders described concrete attendance strategies. Presenter at John Mills and the school’s attendance coordinator reported a district elementary site attendance increase “from 91.7% to 92.5%” and a drop in chronic absenteeism at that site (reported in the presentation as falling from 27.93% to 24.49%). The John Mills team described week‑by‑week grade‑level 95% goals, visual dashboards, positive behavior supports tied to digital incentives and parent notifications for perfect‑attendance recognitions.
At Elm Middle School and Elmwood Park High School, leaders described activities tailored to their students: monthly Cougar roll‑call rallies, home visits with truancy advocates, individualized MTSS attendance plans, and at the high school a new practice called “Tiger support tables” — staff stationed at first‑period doors to encourage on‑time arrival and to connect tardy students with parents. High‑school administrators said first‑period tardies have dropped substantially since the initiative began.
Several speakers emphasized partnerships with West 40 (truancy/advocate services) and ALOP advocates who support families and students identified as having high absenteeism. Administrators said the combination of visible incentives, family outreach and targeted supports has produced measurable gains and created opportunities to escalate interventions for chronically absent students.
What the board asked Board members asked about frequency and student buy‑in for SEL advisories and how school staff are addressing chronic absences. Administrators described daily advisory blocks at EPHS (30 minutes per day during Tiger Time) with SEL content and confirmed that some students receive SEL lessons more frequently when placed in SEL advisories.
Next steps Administrators said they will continue MTSS refinements, develop district K–5 SEL and behavioral interventions, maintain partnerships with West 40, and prepare for statewide requirements related to mental‑health screening.
