Be Present: Absenteeism campaign to encourage student attendance this month

Dani Messick, Goshen News - September 4, 2024

Elkhart County schools have joined a nationwide campaign to support attendance initiatives.

This September, the Attendance Awareness Campaign was launched locally with the slogan “Be Present, Be Your Future Today.”

“Post-pandemic it’s been hard getting kids to school,” said Goshen Community Schools Superintendent Jim Dubois. “We know it’s an entire community effort to get this turned around in Elkhart County. ... We’re trying to catch people back up, change the culture; it’s kind of like a symptom, we want people to realize that showing up is really important. You have to show up in life to be fully engaged.”

Dubois said his main goal last year (his first year as Goshen superintendent) was to improve attendance rates by 1%. The district surpassed that, improving the state-recommended 94% individual student attendance rate by 4.8%.

“There is a research study out of Johns Hopkins University several years back that looks at attendance rates and impact on whether a student graduates on time or not,” Dubois said. “There’s three major factors or early warning signs. If you miss 18 or more days that is a factor that can negatively impact your academic performance and likelihood of graduating on time. ... If you have aspirations of having a great job and doing well in school it will significantly impact in a negative way your outcomes potentially.”

According to The SOURCE, one in four Elkhart County students struggle with absenteeism. The result is difficulty reaching benchmarks such as reading grade level, graduation rates, and income earned over a lifetime. Regular school attendance opens opportunities and builds successful habits for the future.

The SOURCE convened representatives from all seven of Elkhart County’s public schools and numerous community partners to address the issue together following a Child Dashboard meeting in August 2023, focusing on chronic absenteeism.

Concord Community Schools superintendent Dan Funston said his district launched their down campaign last year and saw a 10% reduction in excessive absences.

“The ‘Be Present, Be Your Future Today’ campaign builds on these efforts, reinforcing our commitment to working alongside community partners to tackle absenteeism,” he said. “By coming together as a county, we’re sending a strong message: when students are present, they’re building a better tomorrow for themselves and our whole community.”

The group of educators partnered with LightBox to create and launch the campaign highlighting the powerful effect of being in school on a secure future. Through billboards, posters, banners, mailers, yard signs, and a video featuring local students and community members, they’re sharing the message that school attendance is important for success — and we all have a role to play in supporting students.

“We appreciate that leaders at The Source recognize the importance of school attendance and are leading this awareness campaign,” said Jayson Snyder, superintendent for Middlebury Community Schools. “We know students who are present and engaged in daily learning opportunities will be most successful. In Middlebury, we focus on partnering with families, and we understand that everyone has a role they can play in supporting young people. We see bright things for the future of Elkhart County.”

The Indiana Department of Education has set a goal that students attend at least 94% of school days, elevating the issue through legislative action that will support schools and students through data collection and early identification. While each district has its own effort to support students and families in strong attendance, superintendents joined together in August to sign a joint proclamation recognizing its importance.

“We commit to continuing efforts to reduce absenteeism and address the factors that cause students to miss school to ensure all children have an equal opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive,” the proclamation reads. “We support continuing to work together as a county that builds engaging school environments that motivate attendance and send the message that learning leads to long-term benefits for our students and our county.”

“There can be several factors that can contribute to student absenteeism such as it could be a health issue that is going on in the family, financial hardship, there could be some anxiety issues or health-related issues, and so our work is to collaborate without community partners so that we can drill down with the family to determine what is needed and how we can best support them and their child,” Wa-Nee Community Schools Superintendent Scot Croner said.

Croner said conversations surround attendance, and speaking to the administration about struggles can be stressful for parents, and that’s partly why the campaign was implemented.

“We want the family to know that we all believe and understand the importance of good student attendance and the habits that creates,” he explained.

In addition to the school systems in Elkhart County, partners in the “Be Present, Be Your Future Today” campaign include The SOURCE, Bashor Children’s Home, Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County, Center for Community Justice, Community Foundation of Elkhart County, Elkhart County Health Department, Elkhart County Juvenile Court Services, Elkhart County Special Education Cooperative, Horizon Education Alliance, Oaklawn, Tolson Center for Community Excellence, and Triple P of Elkhart County.

“It is when we declare our intentions to work together through deliberate acts of action: to truly engage parents in meaningful ways, empower students to want to be at school, surround the whole child with support where they need it to remain engaged and successful, and find ways to partner with our community, that we will reduce absenteeism and improve the lives of children that we serve,” said Byron Sanders, superintendent of Baugo Community Schools.

More information about the campaign can be found at www.beelkhartcounty.org.

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