Perfect attendance at Macon schools results in $50 gift cards, headphones, more. Here’s how

Schools in Macon have been back in session for nearly a month, and a local law firm is testing a new way to boost student attendance amid spiked absences.

“The Show Up Challenge” is a community-based competition created by the Law Office of Mahdi Abdur-Rahman in collaboration with community members to resolve the Bibb County School District’s long-standing chronic student absenteeism issue.

“We’re challenging students to have perfect school attendance records with no tardies for a two-week period,” Abdur-Rahman said.

Names of the students who complete the challenge are entered into a drawing for prizes, such as $50 Amazon or DoorDash gift cards, Beats by Dre headphones, Apple AirPods and more.

For the 2023-2024 school year, nearly 30% of students were chronically absent, which means they missed 10% or more days of the academic year, regardless of the reason.

Abdur-Rahman said the idea came to him after learning about the district’s alarmingly low reading scores and high absences. He said despite his law firm being small, it felt compelled to somehow improve the county’s academic performance.

“You can’t perform well in school if you’re not present,” he said. “We decided we have to do a little bit more to help serve the most important people in the community, which we think are the youth because they’re the future.”

Well-known community member Ray Wilson said the competition promotes positive reinforcement in the district, and it ensures students that their hard work is not being overlooked.

“I figured, let’s celebrate the kids who come to school and aren’t tardy the same way we celebrate the kids that score touchdowns and baskets on the court,” Wilson said.

Wilson said the unique set of financial challenges that Macon youth face today makes it difficult for them to obtain perfect attendance for the entire year, but “The Show Up Challenge” would be a start.

Absenteeism is a district-wide issue, Abdur-Rahman said, but the firm is focusing initially on instilling a desire to learn in high school kids prior to graduation. Middle and primary school children will participate in the challenge later in the school year.

“They are the children who are preparing to go into the actual real world,” he said. “So, it’s much more important for them to really understand the value of being present and how it impacts their education.”

Saige Harpe and Ayden Murphy of Central High School were the first two students to earn a prize in the firm’s first-year attendance challenge.

Harpe said she was aware of the challenge but was shocked when she was declared the winner.

“I think the challenge is a good way to get students to get to class on time so they won’t miss any assignments or any important information,” the freshman said, noting that the district never implemented the incentive before.

School counselors manage the students’ raffle entries and determine the winners, Abdur-Rahman and Wilson said.

Abdur-Rahman said the challenge will continue for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year. Next semester, the firm hopes to examine the initiative’s impact on students’ performance through its “The Show Out Challenge,” he added.

Wilson said the campaign is gaining momentum across the community, as some members have shown interest in sponsoring the raffle for more students at different schools on a frequent basis.

“I’m hoping that this will create a domino effect,” Wilson said. “I’m just trying to get the community to talk about the importance of school attendance and just encourage the kids to do what they’re supposed to do.”

Potential sponsors wanting to get involved can contact the Law Office of Mahdi Abdur-Rahman or reach out to Wilson on social media.

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 5:00 AM.