LAKE COUNTY— The Lake County Office of Education is excited to launch its “Count us in!” attendance campaign for the 2019-2020 school year.
Brock Falkenberg, Lake County Superintendent of Schools says, “Attendance is one of the key indicators of a student’s success.”
This year, the Lake County Office of Education plans a large outreach program to help parents, students, and community members understand the definition of “chronic absenteeism” and the impact it has on our students and schools.
Chronic absenteeism is missing 10 percent of the school year—or about 18 days. To put that into perspective, chronic absenteeism is missing two days of school a month, whether those absences are excused or unexcused.
Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss two to four days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school during that school year.
Research shows that kindergarten students who are chronically absent, fall behind in reading by the third grade, and struggle to catch up to their peers.
By sixth grade, chronically absent students fail in core subjects.
By ninth grade, chronically absent students are likely to drop out of high school.
Falkenberg explains, “This is important to everyone in the community, not just those with school-aged children. Addressing chronic absenteeism is a key component of improving graduation rates, increasing academic achievement and giving young people the best chance at success in their adult life to become active members of their communities.”
September is “Attendance Awareness Month.” Here are tips to help your students and the students you know build a habit of regular attendance each and every month of the school year:
Make it a priority to get your student(s) to school on time every day.
Talk to school administrators or counselors if there are barriers to improving attendance such as health or transportation. They will work with parents to find solutions.
Falkenberg adds, “Everybody plays a role in ensuring that our children attend school regularly. Let’s work together to help all kids attend today so they can achieve tomorrow.”
For more information, please visit lakecoe.org/Attendance.
