WAUKESHA, Wis. — More and more students are calling in absent at such an alarming rate, and school districts are taking big steps to change it.
Chronic absenteeism has become such a problem across the country, the state, and in local schools, places like Waukesha have hired a specialized social worker to try to get more kids to class.
Jamie Hopson is now a regular in the halls of Waukesha South High School. But she admits that wasn’t always the case.
“I kind of developed the mindset I could do my work from home,” said Jamie.
As a freshman Jamie moved to Waukesha South from Milwaukee during Covid. As schools returned to normal she didn’t really feel like she had to go.
“I could still stay home and get good grades. Or I could still maintain my work enough to pass,” said Jamie.
Jamie got the notice she was at risk of becoming chronically absent. That is when a student misses 10% or more of the school year. Roughly 18 days or more for any reason, even if they are sick.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, before the pandemic, one in six children in the country were chronically absent, or about 16 percent of the population. In 2023, that number jumped to 28 percent. In the Waukesha School District, 17 percent of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year.
“Kids got out of the routine of going to school, doing their work as part of Covid. And now as we are trying to get out of that we are seeing a lot more mental health things. A lot more anxiety-related things,” said Mary Green, a social worker for the Waukesha School District.
Chronically absenteeism is such an issue at Waukesha South they hired Mary Green as a student engagement and attendance specialist, specifically to work on it. She says post-pandemic mental health is a major factor in why students are calling in absent. That is true for schools across the country, but Waukesha has an additional factor that students are dealing with the Waukesha Parade tragedy.
“You add that in and when you are talking about the safety and security of coming to school. Some of that safety and security was disrupted,” said Green.
Four students from the Waukesha South band were severely injured in the parade tragedy. Some of the students were not physically hurt but suffered psychological trauma.
“We have seen a lot more students that have anxiety. That have worries. That have reasons why they aren't coming to school for reasons that don't necessarily have to do with school, but their own mental health,” said Green.
Just last month, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Julie Incitti says they did a statewide training to come up with best practices to help schools tackle this issue because they say it goes beyond missing just missing class.
“Chronic absenteeism matters for test scores and even looking at high school graduation rates or dropout rates. When a student is chronically absent. It means that they're missing out on the chance to engage in their academic learning as well as really important social interactions,” said Incite.
Although Waukesha South is seeing its numbers go down, they say chronic absenteeism continues to impact students of color the most, something that is also happening nationally. Jamie says for her, she struggled to make connections to other students.
“It was for me, a predominately white school to me. So I was really nervous about not making friends, people judging me,” said Hobson. “I didn’t feel comfortable in my school at first.”
But finding a place to belong made all the difference. Jamie joined track and the Black Student Union, where she later became the president. Even with all her success, she says she still gives herself a pep talk every day.
“Go to school, get it together, find that one motivating thing that will help you get through the day,” said Jamie.
TMJ4 News wants to continue the conversation about chronic absenteeism. If you are dealing with this in your school or have something you would like to share. Reach out to our reporter Rebecca Klopf at rebecca.klopf@tmj4.com.
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