“Attendance improves when districts and schools partner with families and other agencies to address the challenges that make it hard for students to get to class and affect their ability to learn when they do show up.” – Attendance Works
Why Chronic Absence Matters
Chronic absence – missing 10% or more of school days (18+ days) for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences or suspensions – can make it harder for students to learn, succeed in middle school and graduate high school.
The U.S. Department of Education’s data for the 2022-23 school year shows that while there has been some progress in reducing chronic absence, it remains a widespread challenge. Just like student achievement in math and reading, addressing chronic absence requires ongoing focus and action.
For more insights, including key takeaways from Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University, click here.
ICCSD Takes Action
Reducing absenteeism at Ichabod Crane is a collective effort. Our approach involves staff, families, students and community partners working together through a tiered system of support to help students attend school regularly.
Our Approach: We provide different levels of support based on attendance rates – from automated absence notifications to individualized intervention plans for students facing chronic absenteeism.
Each school has an Attendance Committee that monitors attendance, engages with students and families, recognizes good and improved attendance and addresses barriers, such as transportation and child care.
At the district level, our Attendance and School Engagement Liaison collaborates with Attendance Committees and local support services to assist students and families.
Our district’s Attendance Policy can be viewed here.
At the Primary School, please complete this Google Form to report your child’s absence to the main office. For Middle School absences, call the Attendance Office at 518-758-7575 ext. 3001 before 9:30 a.m. At the High School, absences can be reported to the Main Office by email, written note or by calling 518-758-7575 ext. 4001.
ICCSD recognizes that there are universal strategies that support and encourage daily attendance for all students. These include high-quality, engaging instruction and social-emotional learning that helps to build relationships.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Across K-12:
- Primary School: Uses Second Step, a research-based SEL curriculum. Our school counselor leads interactive classroom lessons and lunch-time social skills groups to support student development.
- Middle School: School Counselors visit classrooms in grade 4 and 5, covering topics like perseverance, friendship, bullying study skills and emotional control. School Counselors meet individually with all students in grades 6-8 for goal setting, as well as a general assessment to gauge each student’s progress and well-being.
- High School: Uses Circles, an instructional strategy fostering open discussions and strong student-staff connections. Homerooms have been replaced with longer Advisory sessions to build stronger student relationships. The student-led Sources of Strength program also promotes mental health, resilience and a positive school culture.
- District-Wide: Our Wellness Committee consistently assesses our health, physical education and SEL curricula. They also administer a mental health check-in survey sent to all students in grades 6-12. Additionally, the district has a Crisis Response Team, complete with a corresponding Crisis Response Plan that can be activated as needed.
- Each school has a social service dog, who has become a beloved member of the Rider family.
All staff – both instructional and non-instructional – play a vital role in fostering welcoming, engaging and supportive learning environments that encourage attendance.
Going to school is an opportunity for every student to:
- Build routines that help reduce stress.
- Connect to their friends and teachers.
- Engage in learning.
That’s why we continue to spread the message: Every Day Matters.
As members of our Ichabod Crane community – including our parents, families and community partners, you can help our students attend school every day.
What You Can Do To Support Good Attendance
Start Early: Build Strong Attendance Habits:
- Work with your child and his/her teacher to develop your child’s strong attendance. Talk about it – sing about it – make it an adventure!
- Set a regular bedtime and morning routine.
- Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Introduce your children to their teachers and classmates before school starts.
- Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, a neighbor or another parent.
- Try to schedule non-urgent related medical appointments and extended trips when school isn’t in session.
- If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, school counselors and other parents for advice on how to make your child feel comfortable and excited about learning.
- If you are concerned that your child may have a contagious illness, call your school or health care provider for advice.
- If your child must stay home due to illness, ask the teacher for resources and ideas to continue learning at home.
Help Our Middle/High School Students Stay Engaged:
- Find out if your children (or MS/HS students you know) feel engaged by their classes and feel safe from bullies and other issues.
- Make sure they are not missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues or school discipline policies. If any of these are problems, contact the school and work with them to find a solution.
- Monitor your their academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary. Make sure teachers/staff know how to contact you.
- Stay on top of your their social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
- Encourage your child to join meaningful after-school activities, including sports and clubs.
- Support your child (or the student you know/0 if you notice signs of anxiety, and if needed, seek advice from your school or health provider.
Don’t hesitate to seek help from school staff – including our team of social workers, psychologists and school counselors, other parents or community agencies if you need support. Call your child’s main office to start a conversation and review our Contact Guide for other key contact information.
Together, we can encourage and empower our students to attend school, where they are welcomed into safe, engaging and supportive learning environments, surrounded by caring peers and staff who are dedicated to their success and well-being.
#riderpride #ichabodcares #icceverydaymatters