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Board hears plan to curb chronic absenteeism, proposes hiring truancy officer
Summary
Superintendent Dyer described chronic absenteeism trends—about 12.3% in 2019, a spike to roughly 32.5% in 2022—and presented a community-backed plan that could include rehiring a full-time truancy officer, home visits, social-worker supports and court collaboration under an advisory student-attendance board.
Superintendent Dyer told the board the district’s chronic-absence rate rose from roughly 12.3% in 2019 to about 32.5% in 2022 and said the district has begun community-level work to reduce absenteeism. "We have plans in place to impact chronic absenteeism in our school system," Dyer said, referencing a community committee chaired by Chief Superior Court Judge Denise Marshall and noting the district is vetting interventions for board consideration.
Dyer emphasized a community approach that combines schools, courts and social services: notifying parents through an attendance-advisory process and, when necessary, escalating to the court system as a last resort. He recommended hiring a full-time truancy officer to make home visits and coordinate interventions; the board asked staff to provide grade-level absenteeism dashboards and to return with vetted proposals and data on expected impact.
