SALT LAKE CITY — While chronic absenteeism rates have come down since the pandemic, about 23% of kids are missing almost 4 weeks of school every year across Utah.
Garrett Russell is an attendance specialist at the Utah State Board of Education. He defines chronic absenteeism as “a student missing 10% or more of the school year, which equates to about two days per month.”
"Missing out on those executive functioning skills that they learn as well — not just their academics which is the easier metric to judge, but there’s problem-solving skills, collaboration with their peers, developing positive peer-adult relationships within a school building,” said Russell.
As a parent, Chris Hanks knows how important going to school is — even for his little ones getting an early education at Neighborhood House, a non-profit that provides toddler, preschool and afterschool programs in Salt Lake City.
"It’s the first thing that matters most, my kids are everything,” said Hanks. “So being able to give them somewhere that’s trustworthy and that I know will take good care of my kids.” He has 4 kids and lives in Murray.
Jennifer Nuttall with Neighborhood House said these low attendance rates can impact not just the students, but their families and the broader community.
"It’s really hard for all parents when their kids can’t go to school when they’re sick or whatever is impacting that,” said Nuttall. “But it’s especially impactful on families who have more entry level jobs or possibly lower paying positions because they are less flexible and it really impacts their family's ability to meet their needs when they have to miss out on hours."
Russell added that schools are looking at more community approaches to helping kids stay in their classrooms. "What are the local mental health resources? Who are those mentors, extracurricular after school programs that kids can turn to so that they're getting rides to and from school, they're engaging in positive interactions outside of school."
Hoping for more community solutions to help kids succeed.
