What You Miss When You Skip
The October 2024 report published by the NYS Comptroller shared the state’s “Stubbornly High Rates of Chronic Absenteeism.” The report highlighted the highest rates of absenteeism in rural counties, among economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. NYS has some elaborate standards and testing requirements for schools (and growing accommodations) – but it’s hard to provide an education to kids who aren’t in the building.
Why is this important?
High school students who miss 15+ days -even if only for 1 school year- are more likely to drop out. Did you know that even early elementary students who are chronically absent ALSO have a higher dropout rate? Dropping out tends to result in lower earnings and shorter lifespans by as much as 9 years. (Full disclosure - I am writing this remembering how much I ABSOLUTELY HATED SCHOOL. I kept my head down and had great grades. But, if my mother would have given in, I would have stayed home every. single. Day. I was convinced that it wasn’t safe, it was repetitive, and unnecessary…
Why do youth avoid school?
School refusal on the students' part can be a range of things. Learning difficulties can look like anxiety and avoidance. Mental health challenges (not even disorders, just challenges) may start to arise at this time and the natural answer is withdrawal and isolation. Older students may be struggling socially-not quite learning how to put the pieces together. There may be bullying. Youth also miss school due to difficulties at home- food and/or housing insecurity, transportation, worry about a family member. Our area is immune to nothing.
Why is school important?
I think we all remember what happened during the pandemic–We decided that kids needed to be in school. The scale of isolation magnified all of the benefits of kids being in school- they needed the routine, the structure, the peer engagement–nevermind 2 meals a day and warm building to be in. The school setting introduces time management and communication. “Don’t like your teacher this year, no worries, you’ll have a new one next year. What can you do to make this year better now?” How well are you using the study hall before practice? Square dance. Art class. Things we typically would never do.
What can parents do?
Notice. Have you counted the actual number of days that your child has missed school? Concern arises at 3+ days per month or 15 days for the year. We aren’t talking about illness related…
Communicate with the school. If the school tries to connect with you about your child's attendance, have that conversation. Talk to the teachers. See if there’s a trend that can help get to the bottom of things. Was there a falling out between a friend group? Was there a sudden change in grades? Are there attention difficulties in the classroom? Better or worse in the morning? Lunch? Even if this isn’t your first rodeo, every child has different needs.
Seek/Accept help. Every family goes through transitions. Most often, the school knows of community resources. If not, 211 has all of the agencies that are available to help. Housing, jobs, foods are all actionable- there are people trained to help with these areas. Sometimes they’re just tricky to find. I can tell you that there are growing resources for kids and adults who need a mental health boost.
Strategies- younger kids tend to do better with incentives. Older kids tend to do better with true mentor programs and check-ins. There are a number of parenting strategies to try. Sometimes, a simple “I believe in your ability to do well in school” can go a long way.
Going to school provides students an opportunity to practice dealing with conflict, unease, schedules, routine, patience, listening. The life skills and environment that they are growing up in is not what it was 20 years ago. It’s okay if you/your child need a little extra help to figure it out. If you have questions, you are always welcome to contact us.