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Toms River staff report declines in chronic absenteeism at elementary levels
Summary
Curriculum staff told the board midyear chronic-absence snapshots show substantial reductions at elementary grades (kindergarten cited falling from ~38% to ~21%); the district said school-based attendance committees and targeted interventions helped reduce chronic absenteeism.
Curriculum staff presented a midyear review of chronic absenteeism at the district's curriculum committee meeting on Feb. 18. Presenters described chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year and said they have seen "really significant decreases across all of our elementary grade levels," including kindergarten figures that presenters gave as roughly 38% in 2022–23 down to about 21% in the current midyear snapshot.
Staff emphasized the role of school-based attendance committees and targeted tiered interventions, noting some upticks can reflect short-term illness spikes (for example, a severe flu period in December). They reminded the board that under New Jersey requirements, any school with chronic absenteeism above 10% must create a corrective action plan and said each building completes analysis of students who meet that threshold.
A board member pressed staff to clarify whether charts show the percentage of students who are chronically absent or a point-in-time count; staff clarified the midyear figures are snapshots showing students on track toward the chronic threshold and that the final-year number can change as students return to regular attendance.
