(Columbus) The Republic
Indiana education officials recently focused on a problem that needs immediate attention — chronic absenteeism among students in public schools.
More than one in five students in Indiana public schools (21.1%) were chronically absent in the 2021-22 school year, according to state data. Startlingly, this is lower than the federal rate. Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing at least 18 days of school due to unexcused absences, or 10% of the required school attendance days in Indiana.
Looking at the data locally, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. reported a chronic absentee rate of 18.8%, Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. had a rate of 20.8% and Jennings County School Corp. reported a rate of 23%.
If kids are chronically absent, they will fall behind and face a far greater risk of eventually dropping out. Not only that, but the number of students who are habitually absent — meaning they missed 10 or more days of school last year — was almost 40% statewide.
The Department of Education highlighted these troubling numbers last week and urged state leaders to act, Indiana Capital Chronicle reported.
“It’s October — the first quarter is gone. We have to draw attention to this right now,” said Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner. “I think this is really a rally cry for us to look at our parents, families, caregivers, and also our community leaders to come up with some solutions that might help.”
She’s right, and we commend Jenner for bringing this issue to the fore. The state also is developing an “Early Warning Dashboard” “to direct resources to at-risk students,” ICC reported. “The system will be piloted for some schools this academic year” with a goal of having it ready for all schools by the start of the next school year.
These are laudatory developments, yet it appears truancy laws may be being ignored or going unenforced.
For instance, state law states that a local “superintendent or an attendance officer having jurisdiction shall report a child who is habitually absent from school … to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services.”
We urge the Indiana Department of Education, using the data it has on absenteeism, to determine whether this is being done consistently and systematically throughout the state. If it is, then clearly this law intended to compel school attendance isn’t working. If it isn’t, then perhaps a renewed focus on enforcing this law could get more children — and parents and guardians — to take going to school more seriously.
Schools rightfully have some discretion on setting and enforcing attendance policies, and some flexibility is necessary. And as Jenner noted, COVID-19 changed everything, nearly doubling habitual and chronic absenteeism rates not just in Indiana, but nationally. Likewise, poverty, homelessness and other factors are fueling chronic absenteeism.
“If we have a national culture of chronic absenteeism, we could sit as a board and pass a number of policies today, but the culture is not there,” Jenner told the State Board of Education.
We all have a stake in making sure kids are getting the best education we can provide. It starts with making sure they’re showing up. Let’s make sure that a community and a statewide priority.
