New data from the U.S. Department of Education shows an alarming increase in chronic absenteeism nationwide, soaring from 25% pre-pandemic to 66% in the 2021-2022 school year.

Students who are chronically absent from school are less likely to read on level by third grade, tend to score lower on standardized tests, and are more likely to be suspended in middle school. They are also at greater risk of dropping out of high school and can be at increased risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. And the problems can also spill over to their classmates. As teachers struggle to help students make up for lost time, their ability to meet the learning needs of all their students may be hindered.

In Baltimore City, 58% of students are chronically absent. Montgomery County fares better, with 27% of students chronically absent in the 2022-2023 school year, but that’s still a significant increase from 20% four years earlier. As elsewhere, MCPS high school students were more likely to be chronically absent. MCPS reported that 36% of high school students were chronically absent in 2022-2023.

There are no simple answers to why kids are missing so much school. According to Attendance Works, a national nonprofit working on reducing chronic absence, “many of these absences, especially for younger students, are tied to health problems, such as asthma, diabetes, and oral and mental health issues. Other barriers, including the lack of a nearby school bus, a safe route to school, or food insecurity, make it difficult to go to school every day. In many cases, chronic absence goes unnoticed because schools are counting how many students show up every day rather than examining how many and which students miss so much school that they are falling behind.”

For teenagers, it could be that they are prioritizing work over school to help their families. There also may be a mental health issue. The Maryland Department of Health, Youth Risk Behavior Survey states that about 40% of middle and high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless for at least two weeks or more within the past year. And researchers estimate hundreds of thousands of students lost caregivers during Covid-19 pandemic.

There is a tendency to equate chronic absenteeism and truancy and at times even use the words interchangeably. However, it’s important to note that chronic absenteeism and truancy describe different aspects of absenteeism. Maryland students are considered chronically absent when they are out of school for at least 18 days, or 10%, of a school year. These absences may be excused, unexcused, or suspensions. Habitual truancy is defined as missing 38 unexcused days, or 20% of the school year, and can result in more punitive consequences for children and caregivers.

“Truancy and chronic absenteeism are a real problem, and has a direct impact on our schools, our communities, and learning for our students,” former Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett said, “…because when kids are out of school, when kids are not engaged in productive education, it creates a multitude of other social challenges that are not productive for the entire community.”

The good news is that there are multiple efforts afoot to tackle this national crisis of absenteeism in our schools at the federal, state, and county levels.

Under the Biden Administration, grant funds are available to resource interventions and supports. And states have until next school year to use remaining Emergency Relief funds set aside for P-12 schools in the American Rescue Plan that can be used toward academic recovery, school attendance and engagement, and other efforts.

In Maryland, Community Schools, part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, work in collaboration with community partners, local governments, and other stakeholders to strengthen connections that will generate improved student outcomes. Schools receiving Concentration of Poverty Grants are designated Community Schools. The funding these schools receive through the Blueprint provides a wide array of wraparound services that enhance a student’s ability to be successful and stay in school. Currently, in FY 2023, there are 454 community schools in Maryland receiving Concentration of Poverty Grants.

Mr. Leggett, who chairs the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Accountability and Implementation Board says, “Where you have truancy, counseling, behavior support, and some level of enforcement is helpful… You are not going to punish and enforce your way out of the truancy problem. It needs to be a more meaningful direct, hands-on approach to get this resolved.”

While speaking at the WDC membership kickoff in September, State Senator Will Smith (D-20) agreed and spoke of wanting to be “radically inclusive,” in addressing chronic absenteeism and truancy in Maryland schools. “We are going to have a briefing at the beginning of the [2024] session to talk about this. We are going to bring everyone from state’s attorneys, public defenders, advocates, and people who are involved in schools to help us come up with solutions.”

In August, MCPS launched its Attendance Action Plan to implement data-driven strategies to combat chronic absenteeism. Additionally, the plan will foster collaboration of “administrators, counselors, social workers, pupil personnel workers, parent community coordinators, school nurses, and attendance secretaries to support students and families in improving attendance.”

Brenda Wolff, Montgomery County Board of Education (D-5) says it is critical for each school to create intentional structures to address chronic absenteeism with a coordinated, school-based approach.

In addition to implementing the Attendance Action Plan for chronic absenteeism, MCPS is addressing truancy by sending kids who are approaching chronic truancy status to the revamped Truancy Prevention Program (TPP) in the county’s State’s Attorney’s office. The program hopes to identify the root causes of absenteeism with each student individually and find ways to overcome them. The idea is encouragement and relationship-building, not punishment.

The 10-week program currently serves 19 middle schools and one high school, with about 10 students per school. The program sees truancy prosecution as a last resort and depends instead on employees of the state’s attorney’s office, school counselors, and volunteer mentors who meet with the students as part of the team.

TPP currently has 40 volunteer mentors who work for the program. Mentors are primarily college students, working professionals, and retirees, including former principals and former school board members. Plans to expand the program to an additional six middle schools next spring will require more people to step up and volunteer their time.

To learn more about TPP, CLICK HERE. To sign up to be a volunteer mentor, CLICK HERE. For more information about WDC advocacy on this issue please email Cynthia Rubenstein.

Before I close, I want to share an important upcoming event―WDC and the Asbury Democratic Club have a D-6 candidate breakfast meet-and-greet planned at Asbury Methodist Village from 8:30 to 11:00 am on Saturday, December 16. Registration is open and details are available below and on our website. This free breakfast event will be a great opportunity to hear from all the candidates directly and raise constituent interest. Please register and spread the word.

WDC is also offering a one-day discounted WDC annual membership on December 16 for $25/person, which would make a fabulous gift for a friend or a great opportunity to renew your own membership. At WDC we continue to bring you important events, presentations, community dialogues, and advocacy efforts, year-round, and your contributions via your membership help to sustain the work we do and make us stronger.

As we wrap up 2023, please also consider making an additional donation to help us continue to amplify critical issues and voices. We cannot do this work without your support.

We are all in this together!

Stay Strong. Stay Focused. Stay United.

Tazeen Ahmad
President