West Cook News

Dr. Sharon Williams, Deputy Superintendent of Schools at Proviso Township High School in Illinois' school district 209, recently presented the district's latest truancy and absence rates during a July 12, Board of Education meeting.

During her presentation, Williams suggested that the district should maximize the whole school day in order to help lower truancy and absenteeism rates.

"We know when scholars are not in school, they are not learning and we need to maximize the entire school day and the entire school year to make sure that our scholars are learning," Williams stated, "We also want to emphasize that there is a collective responsibility that includes our scholars, teachers, families and our school leaders around improving where we are now."

She explains that poor attendance has numerous negative effects on kids, including a decline in their grades and learning, a possible delay in their planned graduation schedule, a sense of "being lost in life" and a diminished certainty of their own future prospects.

According to Williams, the graduation rates are reduced by 25% for every week of absence in the ninth grade.

Numerous students in the district are already enrolled in credit recovery for a variety of reasons, including failing classes and falling behind in their coursework.

"We want to make sure scholars are in class, on time every day and stay the entire day and miss very few days per school year," Williams stated.

The government recognizes chronic absenteeism as students missing at least 10% of school days during the most recent academic school year, according to Williams.

This number includes both excused and unexcused absences as well as out-of-school suspensions. Chronic absenteeism also accounts for 10% of a school's rating on its ISBE report card.

District 209 reported a chronic absenteeism rate of 25.9% in 2021, which surpasses the state average of 21.1%.

In addition, the district recorded a chronic truancy rate of 31.2%, also higher than the state average of 22.8%.

Williams noted that Dr. Bessie Karvelas, principal of Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy, has set explicit attendance standards for the next school year, which will require the collaboration of the school district's students, families, teachers and leaders, according to Williams.

These expectations will aim to account for students at school by enforcing severe processes to ensure that students do not lapse into chronic truancy and absenteeism.