Sep. 27—GRAND FORKS — In response to chronic absenteeism, Grand Forks Public Schools district leaders are asking for community support to highlight the importance of attendance.
For a student to be chronically absent, they must miss 18 or more school days. Some 23% of Grand Forks students are chronically absent, more than the national and state average.
In response to this trend, the district has formed an Attendance Task Force to inform the community about the importance of consistent attendance.
“We’ve really tried to bring awareness to how much happens in a student’s day,” Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Coordinator Jessica Sporbert said. “We are offering those foundational skills that set them up for success.”
Nationally and statewide in the 2023-2024 school year, 20% of students were considered chronically absent. For the past five years, Grand Forks Public Schools has exceeded both national and state averages for chronic absenteeism, with 23% of students falling into this category last school year.
District leaders said there are various factors that have contributed to this high rate, including federal funding cuts to educational support programs, the lasting impact of COVID-19 and a lack of community awareness of the importance of attendance. While district leaders agreed these factors all impacted attendance, they did not have an answer to what set the district apart from other North Dakota districts, with lower chronic absenteeism rates, that were also impacted by these factors.
Certain groups in the district are affected more by chronic absenteeism, including multi-lingual students, special education students and economically disadvantaged students. Last year, 87% of all students were attending school consistently, compared to 81% of multi-lingual students, 78% of special education students and 73% of economically disadvantaged students.
District leaders said multiple policies have been put into place to reach these students in particular, including increased mental and emotional health services, transportation assistance and the translation of all documents into a student’s first language. However, Central High School Principal Jon Strandell said personal communication with families and students can make the biggest difference in attendance.
“The school social worker will call home. Dig a little deeper. ‘What are the barriers? What are the reasons for the absences? What can we do differently as a school community to help your family to get your child to school?'” Strandell said.
In a study done by the district, data shows that students who are chronically absent perform considerably worse academically and feel less socially and emotionally connected to their school community. In data from the high schools, not one student who was chronically absent got A’s or B’s, compared to data compiled from all students, where 69% of students got A’s and B’s. Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Matt Bakke said the educational impacts aren’t the only important effects.
“It’s not just about the academics, it’s not just about the opportunities and the extracurriculars,” he said. “It’s the social-emotional aspect as well, how to interact within a community.”
Strandell said habits can be created fast, and that students who are absent in elementary and middle school are more likely to be absent in high school. Combatting these habits is why Grand Forks public high schools put into place a new attendance policy last year, which brought attendance up 15% in one year.
The policy is a tiered intervention plan. In tier 1, if a student has six absences, school staff will reach out to their home. In tier 2, once a student has 10 absences, another meeting with guardians will be scheduled to create a plan for consistent attendance. Once a student has 12 absences, they will no longer earn credit for work they complete on days they are absent. The final tier, after 18 absences students will be dropped from the class(es).
This policy was successful in raising attendance rates, so district leaders are hoping to implement a similar system in elementary and middle schools.
“(Principals) at the high school level have done an exceptional job of really changing that trajectory when it comes to attendance,” Bakke said. “And middle schools and elementary schools want to follow suit and see that same trajectory. We’re hoping through this process that we’re going to see that change.”
In November, the district will be presenting a new attendance campaign to the public. The core message is: “Be here. Be prepared. Attendance matters.”