Well-Being of School Community: School Communities Observe Attendance Awareness Month As They Combat Chronic Absenteeism

This September, school communities observed Attendance Awareness Month to combat chronic absenteeism. School leaders engaged their communities by organizing spirit weeks and planning programming throughout the month. While some encouraged these initiatives, others shared reminders to approach with an equitable lens and work on finding solutions to the root causes of student absences.

  • “BUSD is celebrating Attendance Awareness Month with a renewed push to get all kids to school—on time, every day. SHOWING UP TOGETHER!” —Superintendent in California 
  • “The last week of September is here. Our first qtr interims will be Friday so be on the lookout for interim reports in Progress Book. Attached is our weekly schedule, our lunch menu, and our WIA. This week also brings to a close Attendance Awareness Month.” —High School Principal in Ohio
  • “September is Attendance Awareness Month! Our @BRESBulldogs Rockstars 🎸 & Superheroes 🦸🏽‍♀️🦸🏻‍♂️ made coming to school fun and important this last week! Look forward to seeing all our bright scholars continuing to be at school each and every day! #attendancematters” —Elementary Principal in California
  • “September is Attendance Awareness Month. Next week we will celebrate with a spirit week. Thank you families for making attendance a priority.” —Principal in California
  • “During Sept., as part of our #GladYouAreHere Attendance Awareness program,  different elementaries are serving free breakfast – & it’s breakfast pizza! This week, it was Altoona & Centennial. Clay had the Altoona Fire Dept. & high schoolers Elisabeth Knichel & Ava Johannsen.” —Leader in Iowa
  • “Attendance is important! Like all districts we are experiencing higher rates of absenteeism…this is an alarming trend. We are committed to working with our families and staff to ensure our students are in school. Regular attendance is essential to student success!” —Superintendent in Illinois 
  • “Sept = Attendance Awareness Month ✅🔹 Avoid incorrect assumptions that chronically absent students or their parents do not care. 🔹Working together we can support all children getting to school every day.” —High School Assistant Principal in Virginia
  • “Team @apsBAMOAcademy is on 🔥 this year for kids! Our amazing Social Worker Ms. Afeso launched  a preventive Attendance club today w/school based coaches!  School attendance =improving academics! ❤️❤️💙💙✈️September is Attendance Awareness Month!” —School Leader in Georgia
  • “Our attendance board brings me so much JOY!  I’m sending a special shout out to my 3rd Grade team. Out of 150 students we maintained 97.2 % attendance for the week of 9/18- 9/22.” —Assistant Principal in Texas
  • “We incentivize attendance every week! This month, September, the color is orange. For every student that is here Monday through Friday, they earn a wristband which allows them one dress down pass on Monday!” —Principal in Georgia
  • “There is something really wrong about kids having to color days in red if they are absent from school. And, why has this become a thing now in schools. It’s not trauma-informed. It feels like shaming. Most young students have no control of their attendance.” —Educator, N/A
    • “Yes! Most attendance ‘strategies’/tracking/incentives, etc.  make me cringe. Ensuring we have spaces where students feel welcomed, loved and safe + working with families to problem solve attendance barriers is what we need to focus on in my opinion.” —Elementary Principal in Missouri
  • “Attendance at my school has been very poor. Over half the students are chronically absent. We have a new system for tracking attendance and intervention, but it’s seriously taking me 15-30 minutes every day to document. Hope it works.” —Teacher in Hawaii
    • “Curious if you’re in Texas. Here, our funding is based on attendance instead of enrollment. Every day a kiddo is absent, we lose money.” —Middle School Instructional Coach in Texas