Henderson County School District works to reduce chronic absenteeism among students

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — High levels of absences are significantly impacting students’ academics and district leaders are implementing strategies to get your child back on track.

“If they’re not here, they can’t learn,” said Kimberly Bryant, attendance supervisor with the Henderson County School District.

Absenteeism is a battle schools have been fighting across the country. During COVID, numbers were at their highest but school districts have been working hard to improve those outcomes.

“We were maybe 9.3% to 11.5%. Now, we are actually at—well 13.5%—so now we’re seeing pre-COVID numbers. Before, we were all the way up to 18.5%,” said Bryant.

Bryant tells us absences are a constant struggle they face. Missing school means missing valuable instructional time and poses serious implications for students’ overall academic success and wellbeing.

“There’s always a back story, you know, it’s not just kids don’t want to go to school. A lot of times there’s things going on,” said Bryant.

Bryant says kids face anxiety and mental health challenges daily, making it hard to motivate them to show up at school. Unexcused absences can leave students falling behind.

“They’ve missed more than two days of school and now they’re behind. They feel like, when they’re in high school, they don’t want to raise their hand and ask questions so a lot of times, kids just sit in class and don’t vocalize like I need help,” said Bryant.

Kindergarten, 9 grade and 12 grade see the highest numbers of absentees.

By law, a child is considered truant at five unexcused absences. Early intervention plays a major role in improving attendance.

“This year, we’ve been more intentional of trying to get the kids back in school,” said Bryant.

Bryant says their teachers take the time to get to know their students to recognize concerns. In partnership with the juvenile courts, they also offer in-home counseling and resources.

Bryant says it’s important that parents know the importance of attendance. Their goal in Henderson County is to make sure that they support their students in every way.

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