Students might not think twice about missing a school day or even one class, but a cumulative absence rate of 10 percent or higher, excused or unexcused, classifies them as chronically absent.
Glenbrook High School District #225 is working to revise the current attendance policy in order to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Administrators utilize input from students, parents and staff to propose potential revisions of the policy to the school board.
A committee looks at current data, identifies areas it believes may help increase attendance and discusses potential ideas like reevaluating the timeline for completing missed work, said Meghan Bargar, assistant principal of deans.
“Due to the large number of students involved in extra-curriculars, there has been discussion about tying attendance to participation,” said Bargar. “For example, in order to participate in extra-curriculars daily, students would need to be present for ‘x’ number of blocks each day. This is one of many ideas being discussed.”
“We are not out to penalize students,” said Bargar. “We want them to be in school. And if we find motivators to get them into school, that’s what we’re looking for.”
According to English teacher Theo Henrich, student attendance can present a lot of surprises, like when 12 out of 22 students were missing from Henrich’s humanities class one day.
“[Having absences] shifts everything,” said Henrich. “It shifts class management, which obviously is easier with 10 students, but it shifts the dynamic of the class. It changes the way that you can offer opportunities for collaboration.”
The collaboration and conversations that happen in class are really dynamic things that allow students a lot of opportunities for engagement and growth, academically and beyond, Henrich said.
“If the students aren’t there, it feels like a sort of consistent missed opportunity for me to get to know them, for them to get to know me, but also for them to get to know their peers,” Henrich said.
A multi-tiered system of support for attendance outlines three tiers of intervention based on the support students need to remain in school. Once students are classified as chronically absent, they may fall under Tier 3, in which more individualized support, like home visits, may be implemented.
The district sometimes partners with the North Cook Intermediate Service Center for additional support to assign attendance liaisons who work with students and their families to understand whether there are any obstacles or barriers prohibiting a student from getting to school every day, Bargar said.
Dealing with chronic absenteeism is not very black and white, Bargar said.
“We value students being here,” said Bargar. “We want them to be here. So we’re trying to create a policy that’s going to incentivize students to be here.”