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Superintendent: chronic absenteeism at CRLS at historic high; HSEP reports progress with flexible offerings
Summary
Administration flagged chronic absenteeism at CRLS at 36% districtwide and 50% for students with disabilities; the High School Extension Program reported reductions in chronic absenteeism after Flex asynchronous courses and family outreach.
District leaders told the school committee they are treating chronic absenteeism as an urgent concern, and described targeted strategies to reduce missed school days.
Director Jennifer Amagon reported that chronic absenteeism for the high school reached 36% in 2025 and said 50% of students with disabilities were chronically absent. "We have a significant chronic-absenteeism issue in our high school," Superintendent Murphy said, calling it a top priority and noting policy changes and building-level interventions underway.
Principal Soliotis described HSEP's targeted interventions: increased after-school programming, asynchronous "Flex" courses that about 60% of students accessed this semester, individualized outreach to families, and flexible seat-time arrangements for students with attendance challenges. Soliotis said HSEP reduced chronic-absence rates from roughly 95% historically to about 40% after recent work, citing family partnerships and flexible programming as key drivers.
