Schools struggle to contain out of control absenteeism

One of the most tragic mistakes made during the pandemic was to keep kids out of school. Apparently they got the message. Ever since the lockdown, hundreds of thousands of Minnesota students see no need to come back to class on a consistent basis.

It’s a serious problem schools and teachers unions brought upon themselves by closing down classes in favor of so-called distance learning. Some 300,000 Minnesota students fall into the category of chronic absenteeism. By definition that means they routinely miss more than ten percent of their scheduled classes.

In Moorhead, InForum notes a staggering one in three students regularly skips class, missing out on instruction, assignments and interaction with their peers.

In the Moorhead school district, 33% struggle with absenteeism — that’s 2,200 students in K-12. That is why Moorhead schools put together a districtwide team to come up with solutions to absenteeism as part of the pilot study.

“This is a community issue, how can we work with the county and the city to try and make this a holistic solution, because a lot of the barriers we are facing are not school related, and so how can we help them as a group help these families?” Jeremy Larson, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, said.

Moorhead is one of a dozen school districts across the state participating in a pilot program to get to the bottom of the absentee crisis. But no easy answers appear to be cropping up thus far.

As with many schools across Minnesota, the Moorhead school district has struggled with absenteeism following the COVID pandemic. But it is much more than that. At the high school, for example, solutions will come from the basics: one-on-one communication.

“Relationships. Really getting to know the student and the family and getting to know the student and family and having those hard conversations and letting them know you care,” Chris Triggs, high school assistant principal with Moorhead Area Public Schools, said.

One thing that’s clear is the absenteeism problem will require a community-wide effort to get under control.

The schools also work with Clay County law enforcement and the courts, knowing the schools alone can’t solve this alone, officials said.

So COVID protocols continue to wreak havoc long after students were kept out of the classroom and isolated from their friends. Not only the loss of instruction that set many students back, but also the need to show up in class at all.