Bibb County schools seeing high number of chronically absent students. What’s next?
Nearly 30% of 21,500 students in the Bibb County School District were chronically absent as of Feb. 27, school officials said Wednesday.
Over 300 concerned parents, community members and district faculty joined Superintendent Dan Sims’ Facebook live-stream that addressed the district’s chronic absenteeism rate Wednesday morning.
“We need to come together on this one,” Sims said as viewers poured in. “I would not be bringing this to the table if it was not a significant issue that we’re dealing with right now.”
More than a quarter of Bibb students were chronically absent in 2022. The Macon Newsroom reported about 27% of the district’s 21,300 students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year - showing a 71% increase compared to 2017-18.
Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of enrolled days. Sims said chronically-absent students are missing a day or more in one week, which can quickly affect academic performance.
Sims said the many students who miss school also miss instruction. As Georgia’s Milestone testing approaches in April, he said students will be unable to demonstrate what they know unless they are in the classrooms to know it.
Sims said as both a parent and superintendent, he is calling for parents to make school a priority in their children’s lives. He suggested eight tips for parents to follow to help alleviate the district’s absences:
- If there are school-related problems, address them with the school for resolution
- Change night routines to ensure a good sleep
- Establish a morning routine that includes a nutritious breakfast and getting students to school on time
- Reset the expectation of students deciding whether or not they want to go to school
- Tell your children that you love them every day
Establish clear expectations for student behavior at school
- School attendance is non-negotiable
Reinforce that school is a learning environment.
BSCD spokesperson Stephanie Hartley said in the live-stream chat that parents can also view their child’s attendance through the district’s Parent Portal.
“It’s important to know exactly where [your child] stands in terms of attendance,” Sims said.
After reviewing low attendance numbers, Sims requested Monday morning that parents join his Facebook live-stream to raise awareness about how everyone can collaborate to reduce the numbers.
Several parents in the comment section highlighted an increase in illness and family emergencies influencing students’ attendance. Sims responded that those are not the concerns he was addressing.
“Outside of illness, doctor’s appointments, as you have to have those happen, and emergencies, there’s not one student who doesn’t deserve to come to school every single day,” Sims said during the live-stream.
After speaking with superintendents from other states, Sims said this issue is not limited to Bibb County. He said students aren’t attending class nationwide.
Sims advised parents to use the district’s Let’s Talk app to increase awareness of school-related issues causing students’ poor attendance and find resolutions to them.
“I love these kids so much. I love every single one of them, and I mean that. I want the best for every single student, and I’m starting at this level of attendance,” Sims said moments before ending the live-stream.
If you missed it, you can watch a recording of the stream here.
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 12:17 PM.