GREECE, N.Y. — As a new school year is underway, school districts across the region are working to lower the number of students who chronically miss school.
Last school year, New York State reported that nearly 25% of students in elementary and middle schools were “chronically absent,” meaning they miss 10% or more of the school year. That amounts to 18 or more days. In Monroe County, the numbers were higher, with just over 27% of students being chronically absent.
In Greece, the focus has been getting older students to stay in the classroom. Kelly Sperduto, director of community schools for Greece Central School District, said causes of absenteeism can vary widely from anxiety and mental health issues to housing instability and family illness.
“At our elementary levels, the chronic absenteeism rates are a little bit lower. At the secondary levels, we have seen significantly higher rates of chronic absenteeism,” Sperduto said. “Sometimes even as much as 30%, 40% of kids can be chronically absent. But as we mentioned before, that might mean just missing one day of school a month. That adds up over time and has some significant learning gaps.”
Community school strategy
The district has a community schools strategy that was implemented nearly a decade ago to address the causes of absenteeism. The plan aims to leverage various school and community resources to meet the needs of students and families. Longridge Elementary School was the pilot site.
Sperduto said the model has expanded to 17 of its 18 school buildings. At each school, there’s a full-time coordinator to help students and families navigate barriers keeping them out of the classroom.
From mental health support services, providing clothing closets and food pantries, to a neighborhood navigation center, the multi-faceted approach is all about building a student-first culture. Kelly Lampman, principal at Longridge Elementary School, explained how this translates to encouraging students to come to school.
“The community school strategy gives us ways to get kids in the school and wanting to come. So we have clubs for kids. We have activities or family engagement events that get them here,” Lampman said. “So that way they won’t want to miss, and they want to come to school every day. Every month we have a night event for our families and our students to come and be part of the school community, connect with the principal, connect with the assistant principals, and really just be part of the school community.”
Sperduto said the district is part of the Community Schools Coalition of Monroe County. Its strategy has expanded and been adopted by other districts over the last two to three years.
The theme of the district’s attendance campaign this year is “your presence matters.” Every month, it will offer students incentives, challenges, and other prizes aimed at bringing students to school excited about being in the classroom.
Trends in absenteeism at Longridge
Longridge is the largest elementary school in the district with about 800 students. Its 6% chronic absence rate last year was recognized by the state’s education department for its improved attendance.
Chronic absence rates spiked post-pandemic but have improved following that initial surge in 2021-22. At Longridge Elementary School, nearly 34% of students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year — in line with that surge across the state. Last year, that percentage dropped to 6.5%.
Over 27% of Monroe County students are missing too much school; Here’s how Greece schools are addressing it WHEC.com.
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