(FRANKFORT, KY) – The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Commissioner’s Teachers Advisory Council met on Sept. 12 to give feedback on chronic absenteeism across the Commonwealth.
KDE defines a student as chronically absent if they have missed more than 10% of the enrolled time in school. This includes both excused and unexcused absences. Chronic absenteeism affects nearly 30% of students across the Commonwealth each year.
Data presented by Leslie McKinney, a strategic data analyst in the KDE Division of Strategic Planning and Research, shows that while school districts have been dealing with chronic absenteeism for years, the problem spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, 5% of schools were considered to have high or extreme levels of chronic absenteeism; in 2023, that percentage was 77%.
“We know that it can be challenging with some of the younger students because of medical or various appointments getting scheduled during the day,” said McKinney. “We also know that there are different challenges from region to region, district to district and even from school to school.”
Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said there are recommended steps in place to help decrease those challenges and work together to increase attendance.
“It all starts with building relationships with those students and families,” said Fletcher. “Once we build those relationships, we need to remove those obstacles and barriers that are in the way of our student’s education.”
Jennifer Ginn, KDE’s director of communications, discussed the department’s public messaging campaign to raise awareness of the issue. Part of the campaign includes ads on television, radio and billboards across the Commonwealth emphasizing that attendance matters.
The billboard images feature messaging about how much students miss when they aren’t in school, like class, football games, band, gym class, lunch or playing with friends at recess. The TV and radio ads follow a similar theme.
“People can be sensitive to the fact of how we are messaging around these resources and information; that’s why we need to make sure it comes from an angle of support,” Ginn said.
Florence Chang, a program consultant in KDE’s Division of Student Success, asked teachers to provide their feedback on strategies they would make to help improve chronic absenteeism within their schools.
Kevin Dailey, an educator in Boone County and the 2024 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, discussed his thoughts on Tier One information, the first level of tiered systems of support for attendance that states the importance of creating connection, a sense of belonging and safety for all students, families and staff.
“This is an amazing wealth of information; however, it did bring up some questions for me, especially with tier one when it comes to educators,” said Dailey. “I think that it is important that we do this not only for our students but also for our teachers. If we, as educators do not feel a sense of belonging and a part of a team at all job levels within the district, it is going to be harder for us to come in with that enthusiasm every day because we are only human.”
Megan Hall, an educator in Letcher County, said that she believes her community has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism because of their community being affected by the flood in 2022.
“I think something interesting that we should note post-pandemic, is that quite a few counties are darker, and I think it had a lot to do with the flood that came through a few years ago,” said Hall. “Schools and housing are still currently being built; we also see the emotional impact it has had on students. When it rains here, many of our students are scared to leave their homes and that they might lose their homes again.”
Hall added in some rural areas, there is not a lot of industrialization and transportation issues that are a barrier for many families.
“We have a lot of issues with our roads and the buses just can’t get through them,” she said. “Parents have to bring their children to the end of their hollers for their students to get picked up.”
Joseph Stivers, an educator in Jefferson County, also mentioned the importance of school clubs and the decline of educator participation.
“I am the coordinator at my school when it comes to before and after school clubs and working with staff to get them excited has been fun for me to show them the sense of belonging clubs can create for our students,” said Stivers. “It creates that safe space where students feel acknowledged and known to teachers within their schools, but recently we have seen a decline in educators wanting to participate because they do not get paid for it, which can be difficult.”
Stivers said he thinks working to build resources and support for educators to be involved would help attendance when it comes to building those relationships between educators and students.
“I think clubs and activities at our schools are needed because it is a community that is built within our schools and allows the students to know they have a part in that community and a sense of belonging,” he said.
Additional comments from council members included using initiatives with their students and families to reward them for attending classes, making sure new educators have the resources and support they need to build those healthy relationships, and keeping educator attendance in mind.
KDE provides additional resources on the Chronic Absenteeism webpage for schools, families and communities.
The next Teachers Advisory Council meeting will be on Dec. 10.
In other business:
- Todd Davis, division director in the KDE Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness, discussed Senate Bill 265. More information about the impact of recent legislation can be found on the KDE Legislative Guidance webpage.
- Marsha VanHook, the full-service community schools manager in the KDE Office of Continuous Improvement and Support and the chair of the Family Partnership Council, shared the Family Partnerships Council’s recommendations to the Kentucky Department of Education. The council serves in an advisory role to the KDE and provides input regarding topics of interest to families, such as ways that families and communities can assist schools in ensuring that the achievement level of all students is increased.
- Commissioner Fletcher provided an update on current events within the Commonwealth and the impact on education, his appreciation for educators and their hard work year-round, along with his mantra and how teachers can be “All In.”
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