District presenter says chronic absenteeism 'a crisis'; board to receive disaggregated attendance reports and review science curriculum

At the April 13 Banks School District board meeting, a district presenter said chronic absenteeism is “absolutely a crisis in this country. It's a crisis in this community,” and told the board staff will continue pursuing non‑punitive strategies to improve attendance.

The presenter emphasized the district’s approach focuses on building welcoming school cultures and addressing barriers to attendance by talking directly with students and families. Board members asked whether the district could disaggregate the attendance data to show causes such as illness, sports participation or other absence codes; the presenter said the district can produce a report broken down by attendance code (illness, doctor appointments, athletics, etc.).

Board members also asked about a forthcoming science curriculum proposal. The presenter said the materials most likely to be presented for adoption are for a "Physics First" sequence, and that the formal adoption vote would be scheduled for a future meeting (May or June). One board member asked to see samples or summaries of recent empathy interviews with students; staff said they would check what records are available and could provide summaries for the board.

Why it matters: Chronic absenteeism is a leading indicator of student success, and board members signaled they want clear, disaggregated data before pursuing further policy or programmatic changes. The district framed its approach as restorative and relationship‑driven rather than punitive.

What’s next: Staff committed to providing a disaggregated attendance report and will return materials for a curriculum adoption vote later this spring.