Students should all know the schedule. We know when classes start, end, and everything in between, and yet a lot of us are left wondering; why are people still late, or worse, absent? By the third quarter of the year, our schedule should be ingrained in our minds by now, and yet you see people wasting their learning time pacing the halls or hiding out in the bathroom. It can’t be that hard to show up to class, can it? You see it all the time, people strutting into class 10 minutes late with no excuse besides a shrug and an “I don’t know”, interrupting the flow of the lesson for no reason at all. And it’s not like this isn’t a common occurrence, as the Department of Education reported that 25.6% of Jordan School district students were chronically absent in 2022. That’s 13,287 out of 52,213 students. But why do people skip class? Is it really that hard to show up to school?

Chronic absenteeism is defined by the Utah Education Policy Center as missing 10% or more of school days throughout the year. In 2012, only 10.6% of Utah students K-12 were absent on average. But that percentage has over doubled, becoming 27.2% in the 2022 year. A report conducted by Hedy N. Chang and Mariajosé Romero in 2008 stated absences early in a child’s academic career add up and are a cause for lower academic performance in later years. “Common sense and research suggest that being in school consistently is important to ensuring children gain a strong foundation for subsequent learning. Research shows that children, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity, lose out when they are chronically absent (that is, they miss nearly a month of school or more over the course of a year). Children chronically absent in kindergarten show lower levels of achievement in math, reading, and general knowledge during first grade. Going to school regularly in the early years is especially critical for children from families living in poverty, who are less likely to have the resources to help children make up for lost time in the classroom. Among poor children, chronic absence in kindergarten predicts the lowest levels of educational achievement at the end of fifth grade” (Chang and Romero). Tracy Miller, the president of Jordan School District’s Board of Education, backed up this claim, stating “Teachers can’t teach a student who is missing a lot of class. A teacher also isn’t able to assess the student to determine what the student needs to learn”.

Attendance Works, an organization dedicated to stopping chronic absence, says there are 4 categories of causes that contribute to a child missing class: barriers to attendance, aversion to school, disengagement from school, and misconceptions about the impact of absences. This broad grouping encompasses a lot of factors, from trauma to an unwelcoming school climate to a lack of educational support. Hedy Chang, the founder of Attendance Works in an interview with Vox News, said “When you see these high levels of chronic absence, it’s a reflection that the positive conditions of learning that are essential for motivating kids to show up to school have been eroded. It’s a sign that kids aren’t feeling physically and emotionally healthy and safe. Belonging, connection, and support — in addition to the academic challenge and engagement and investments in student and adult well-being — are all so crucial to positive conditions for learning”. A common misconception is that chronic absence only started to become a problem after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. And while we may have seen a rise in absence after Covid, it was still a problem before it. Tracy Miller again stated “We have seen an increase in (absence) since 2020 but I wouldn’t necessarily blame Covid. One result of Covid is more online learning and competency-based learning. Before Covid, many students came to school when they were sick because they couldn’t miss class. Students’ and parents’ perspectives have changed on missing school. Now sick kids are able to stay home and more easily catch up on what they miss”.

Stopping chronic absence is crucial to getting every child the education they need to thrive. In terms of actually stopping absence, there is 1 essential group we need to help students; teachers. “The best prevention to stop chronic absenteeism is to have good engaging classroom teachers. Kids are more motivated to come to school if they are engaged and actively learning” says Tracy Miller. Attendance Works stated that there are 4 tiers of intervention that teachers need to use to stop absence. First off, foundational supports, the eradication of stigma and negative views surrounding school and absence. These are universal for every student, parent, and teacher, and are not focused on any specific group or person. Next, universal prevention, the actual steps we take to get rid of that before mentioned stigma. Third, early intervention, which is the taking down of barriers that could further encourage the child to skip class. And finally, intensive intervention. This tier applies to not only school, but other necessities such as housing, safety, and health. Students who miss 20% or more of the school year are usually the focus of this effort. At this point, the school is concerned about the student’s home life and safety and takes measures to help the child get the education they need. Even our very own Jordan School district is using this strategy, with Miller stating “The school district uses panorama to give the school leadership team data to identify students who are in danger of dropping out or failing. We have increased the number of school counselors, psychologists, and social workers who can work with students who are at risk”.

Chronic absence remains a dangerous concern that must be addressed. Pushing it off to the side ignores the large population of students who don’t get the help they need to get an education, and having a negative view of chronic sluffers only furthers the issue. But through preventative measures set in place by our school board and the collective efforts of caring teachers and faculty, we can end absence. For our peers, for our communities, and for our education.