Chronic absenteeism among Michigan K through 12 students is on the decline, but still a problem state leaders are addressing.
New data shows that more than 30% of students are chronically absent, a 7% decrease from the prior year but still 10 points higher than the three years before the pandemic.
Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh spoke with Michigan News Network about the issue.
“We can’t look at absenteeism rates without looking at things like asthma, a leading cause of absenteeism, and thinking about our school buildings,” Pugh said. “I’m thinking about our school buildings. I’m thinking about a home. Would you want to go to a home where the roof is leaking, where there are rodents in the schools, where the temperature conditions are that you don’t have heat in the winter and air in the summer? Many of our children are still facing that.”
To be considered chronically absent, a student must miss 18 of the 180 days of the school year. That would be about 10% of the year.
