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All five Englewood schools flagged for chronic absenteeism; principals present tiered corrective action plans
Summary
After the NJDOE/Bergen County identified a district-wide chronic absenteeism rate of 22.8%, the superintendent and principals presented corrective action plans that include daily attendance monitoring, tiered interventions, parent outreach and new incentives such as an on-campus Cyber Café.
The Englewood School District reported that all five schools were identified as chronically absent for 2024'25, with a district rate of 22.8 percent, triggering a New Jersey corrective action requirement. Under state law (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25.1), districts with chronic absenteeism above 10 percent must prepare and implement both district and school-level corrective action plans.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Scamadella told the board the district used the NJDOE-recommended parent survey and received 670 family responses that informed the plans. "When students are not in school, access to instruction is interrupted, progress is compromised, and opportunities for engagement and achievement are significantly reduced," Dr. Scamadella said.
The district outlined a three-tiered approach:
- Tier 1 (universal): daily attendance monitoring through Genesis by 9:00 a.m., increased parent engagement (attendance workshops), schoolwide recognition incentives and the Cyber Café at Dwight Morrow High School to motivate daily attendance. - Tier 2 (targeted): automated and standardized letters at day 5, 10 and 15; mandated in-person parent meetings with building administrators to design individualized attendance plans; tutoring and targeted academic supports. - Tier 3 (intensive): individualized plans, counseling and social-emotional supports, INRS referral when needed, home visits and coordination with community resources.
Principals described school-level work. At Dwight Morrow, administrators reported a drop in chronic absenteeism from about 22% (2023'24) to 18.1% (2024'25) and stressed early identification and family meetings. Middle- and elementary-school principals emphasized transportation confusion, parent work schedules, and health/medical concerns as top drivers in their surveys and proposed steps such as clearer parent communication about bus eligibility, morning courtesy arrival windows with breakfast and before-school tutorials, and biweekly attendance reviews for students with emerging absentee patterns.
The board asked administrators to speed up work that would ensure phone and Genesis contact information is current; several principals said they will begin verifying and updating contact data districtwide and explore staff support to complete that work before the end of the school year.
Ending: The corrective action plans were presented for review ahead of the district's QAC audit on March 23; principals asked for board support on implementation and data monitoring.
