James DeVita We should have County employees investigate these cases, determine the causes of the absenteeism and see if additional services can help.

Julie Farnam There are many reasons why students are chronically absent, however, Arlington’s rate  of absenteeism has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. One reason is because many  students visited their families overseas around the winter break because they had not  been able to travel for several years due to the pandemic. We shall see if next year  the rates have dropped now that travel has resumed.  

But there are other reasons as well that contribute to chronic absenteeism. To support  efforts to address this issue, the County must:  

• Intervene before the student is chronically absent. 

• Communicate effectively with families. 

• Invest in early childhood education to set the foundation of learning. • Discover the underlying causes of absenteeism, which may be different for  each family. 

• Determine support services needed.  

• Ensure children are engaged. Children may not want to come to school  because they hate school, but it is up to the schools to determine why that is. It  could be an undiagnosed learning disability. It could be bullying. It could be  that the child doesn’t have enough to eat and therefore has difficulty  concentrating in class. It could be that the child needs a mentor to assure them  that success is possible. 

• Offer parenting classes for parents of teens. This is a request I’ve heard more  than once while campaigning. Some parents are trying their best with their  teens, but they don’t have the strategies to navigate these challenging years.

Tenley Peterson Chronic absenteeism is a significant issue. As a substitute teacher, I have seen APS social workers and teachers partnering to support students who are chronically absent. I do not believe in punitive measures, such as threatening students or parents

with civil/financial/legal consequences. I would encourage County staff to work with APS to find solutions that begin with the individual student. 

Early Warning Indicators are a valuable way to identify students who may be at risk for not achieving educational outcomes. With these indicators, appropriate interventions can be implemented to get students back on track. Those interventions can be implemented by social workers in APS in partnership with the Department of Human Services, as appropriate. 

Some of the absenteeism APS is seeing is from students whose extended families live overseas, and for the first time since Covid families are traveling to see their loved ones. Families have withdrawn their children from school the week before and the week after winter break in order to take a one-month trip. In these circumstances, it’s important for us to work with families to minimize schooling disruption and to provide work to students who are out of school for an extended period of time. 

Let’s also work as hard as we can as a community to make school a place that students want to be. This includes making classes culturally relevant to our diverse student population, expanding time for athletics and extracurricular clubs that appeal to a broad range of interests, and offering free breakfast to students to ensure the best possible learning outcomes. Let’s consider making our schools a hub for a community, not just a place to learn.

Natalie U. Roy There are many ideas on how to tackle this issue. Here are two thoughts on this  major challenge: 

• Prioritizing instructional needs is key and benefits the entire community. This  includes lower class sizes, attracting and retaining high-quality teachers, and  allocating resources more equitably.  This will create a more enriching and  attractive learning environment where kids will thrive and be attracted to. They will  be inclined to go to class rather than skip.  

• Engaging parents more, where parents feel involved and welcome.  This could be an  increase in parent-only programs or parent-child activities in the schools.

Julius D. “JD” Spain, Sr. The issue of chronic absenteeism is a significant problem that affects not  only the nation but also our community here in Arlington. As a community  that values diversity and aims to serve the best interests of all our  

students, we must make sure that our school system and County can  meet their unique needs and aspirations. This requires the collaboration  of APS and the County to explore ways to engage students who are  interested in working after high school graduation. Our staff should work together to create educational opportunities and internships that will  inspire and prepare students for their future careers. 

As a county board member, I am committed to working towards ensuring  that our local businesses can provide our students who attend class  regularly with job opportunities. We should also provide additionalrecreational opportunities for those who prioritize their education. It is  important to acknowledge that some students may miss school to  address their families' basic needs, such as housing and food security. As  a community, we must prioritize policies that ensure no student has to  choose between attending class and facing hunger or homelessness.