Chronic Absenteeism Increased in City Schools Last Month
Division is continuing its efforts to connect with affected families. Also, the Board elects 2024 leadership.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Chronic absenteeism increased in Fredericksburg City Public Schools between November and December, the School Board learned this week.
Andrea Bumbrey, the division’s director of student achievement, presented the most recent rates of chronic absenteeism and attendance at the School Board’s meeting on Wednesday.
Twenty-seven percent of students at Hugh Mercer Elementary were chronically absent in December—the highest rate in the division, and up from 20.7% in November.
Just under 23% of students at Lafayette Elementary and 22.5% of students at Walker-Grant Middle School were chronically absent last month.
Absenteeism data for James Monroe is still skewed due to a problem with the app that tracks and calculates attendance.
Students who miss 10% or more of the academic year for any reason—whether excused or unexcused—are considered chronically absent, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
That equates to missing 18 days per year, or two to three days per month, according to the VDOE.
Chronic absenteeism rates count towards state accreditation, and the goal is to have a rate of 15% or below, Bumbrey told the School Board.
“You can tell that Hugh Mercer does have a higher increase,” she said. “We do plan to meet with Hugh Mercer and the other schools so we can take a look and see what’s happening. Hugh Mercer did share that there were quite a few kids out with RSV and flu. We’re going to take a deeper dive to see what can find out.”
The “deeper dive” will include taking a look at the reasons parents and guardians give for their child’s absences, which the division started collecting “around November 12,” Bumbrey told the Board.
“With attendance, you are supposed to look for root causes,” she said. “We didn’t have a way to document that, so we have put a process in place to understand not just the barriers (to attendance) but any aversions.”
Bumbrey shared that at Walker-Grant earlier this month, cosmetology students hosted a hair salon day for students whose attendance issues stem from “self-esteem surrounding their appearance, specifically hair.”
“Schools are making a concerted effort,” she said. “Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can’t help a family. But we know we are building relationships with parents and that builds trust, which overall, helps our schools to be a better community.”
At-large representative Jarvis Bailey, who the Board elected to serve as Chair this year—Ward 1 representative Matt Rowe was elected Vice Chair—said messaging about attendance needs to include education about the fact that it impacts accreditation.
He said parents might allow students to stay home from school when there are early dismissals or delayed openings without understanding that “this is an impactful event on our accreditation.:
“We need to be intentional about shaping that mindset with parents,” Bailey said.
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Our kid is a 1st grader at Hugh Mercer and is sick all the time!! Her classroom is a chorus of coughs and sniffles. I believe the root problem is that many parents are forced to send their sick kids to school, because they can't afford to take the time off.