Alabama joins pledge to cut chronic absenteeism in half

Alabama is one of fourteen states that have pledged to reduce the rate of child absences by 50 percent in five years. 

The bipartisan coalition leading the challenge consists of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank; The Education Trust, a civil rights group; and Attendance Works, a nonprofit with a history of working on absenteeism issues.

In a sign of how far and wide the nation’s chronic absenteeism crisis spans, the states are located across the U.S. and are led by both Republican and Democratic governors.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing more than 10 percent of school days for any reason, about 18 days out of the school year. The nation saw a spike in chronic absenteeism during the pandemic and the nation has seen improvements in each state. However, the numbers have yet to level with pre-pandemic numbers.

Chronic absence does not only affect the students who miss school. It slows down instruction for other students, making it harder for students to learn and teachers to teach.

While students in all demographics experience it, chronic absence disproportionately affects children from low-income families and communities of color, creating attendance gaps that exacerbate achievement gaps in schools. 

States will be able to choose their starting point and set goals from there. Some may start from the 2021-2022 pandemic school year while others may start with a more recent year.

In Alabama, 11.2 percent of students were considered chronically absent in 2019. Alabama has had a 17.9 percent rate of chronic absenteeism for the past two school years. Alabama now has one of the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the country.

Alabama’s compulsory education law states children between six and 17 have to go to school in Alabama, though there are exceptions for certain health conditions and regular jobs. 

The law also outlines steps for schools and courts to handle chronic absences. It also allows for misdemeanor charges, including a fine or up to 90 days in jail for the parent. The law is designed to be flexible, giving courts a lot of leeway to handle each situation individually.