MDE encourages schools, communities to recognize Attendance Awareness Month

JANS – The Mississippi Department of Education urges all education stakeholders to recognize Attendance Awareness Month in September. Schools, districts, and local organizations are encouraged to promote the benefits of students maintaining regular attendance at school and reducing chronic absenteeism.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% (18 days) of the school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Students who miss two days of school each month of a school year are considered chronically absent. Research shows that students who are absent 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.

Anyone interested in raising awareness about the importance of regular school attendance may utilize MDE’s online Attendance Awareness Toolkit (https://mdek12.org/ocsa/chronicabsenteeism/), which includes resources from the agency’s Every School Day Counts – Attend to Achieve campaign.

“We all have a role in combatting chronic absenteeism in schools and preventing students from dropping out,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “MDE offers professional training and resources to districts, but we ask that local communities and service organizations join in as well. Regular attendance is essential for a student’s success in school.”

MDE began reporting chronic absence data in 2016. The lowest rate of 13% was in 2018-19. The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to be the major factor that led to higher state and national rates in 2021-22 when Mississippi’s was 28%. The state’s 2023-24 rate was 24.4%. MDE will soon release the 2024-25 Chronic Absenteeism Report.