NEW HAVEN, Conn. — New Haven's public schools are celebrating their progress in tackling chronic absenteeism in the city.
The auditorium at the John C. Daniels Middle School was packed Thursday with students, elected officials, teachers, and community members to mark the news.
“The way we’re doing it is just really building relationships with our kids," said Daniels School principal Yesenia Perez. "Calling home, making those visits, and having our families here. Also, we encourage our students with various challenges that we do for attendance and incentives for them."
Chronic absenteeism is missing 10% of the school days in a year. In November 2021, the district said 47.6% of its students were chronically absent. That number dropped to 32.9% in November 2023.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, when asked about his critics who say the number is still too high, agreed but also stressed the importance of the work that's been done.
“Absolutely right, our numbers are not good enough," Elicker said. "We have a lot more work to do, but instead of being down about it, what today is about is celebrating the progress and re-emphasize and getting the words out to families. We got a lot more work to do, and you are a part of making sure that our kids get their butts in the seats so they can learn."
At the John C. Daniels Middle School, there are attendance teams looking at student needs that may get in the way of their getting to school. These challenges include issues with transportation, language barriers, or the everyday struggles of a busy working family.
“The big issue that we want to make sure we put out there is that chronic absenteeism is not necessary, like, a willful thing you’re not doing," said Gemma Joseph-Lumpkin, chief of Youth, Family, and Community Engagement for the school district. "It’s often involved in needs that families have and this school gets it."
Currently, the New Haven school district has a target of bringing the absentee percentage down even further. The goal for this academic year is that it goes no higher than 27.5%.
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Keith McGilvery is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at kmcgilvery@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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