Bibb Schools superintendent addresses chronic absenteeism among students

Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Dan A. Sims addressed the issue of chronic absenteeism among students during a Facebook Live video Wednesday morning, labeling it a nationwide issue.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Bibb County School District Superintendent Dr. Dan A. Sims addressed the issue of chronic absenteeism among students during a Facebook Live video Wednesday morning, labeling it a nationwide issue.

Sims called for collective action to guarantee daily school attendance for all students, except in cases of illness, medical appointments and emergencies, saying his message was out of love and not confrontation.

“Outside of illness, doctor’s appointments—cause you have to have those happen—and emergencies, there’s not one student who doesn’t deserve to come to school every single day,” he said.

The video followed a post on Tuesday that received hundreds of comments.

In the video, Sims offered several tips and insights for parents and guardians:

• Voice Your Concerns: If issues at your child’s school persist, reach out multiple times if necessary. He suggested using the “Let’s Talk” application for direct communication with the Superintendent but promised all issues would be resolved somewhere along the chain of the command.
• Healthy Night Routines: Turning off devices and ensuring your child gets enough sleep is crucial. Sims said as a parent “there was a time I had to make the charging station in my bedroom so they got off the phone.”
• Healthy Morning Routines: Establish a positive, consistent morning routine. If breakfast at school makes timing easier, embrace that. “I bore that responsibility,” he said. “I wish I could get every student to school by myself, but I have to lean on you to get these students to school.”
• Reset Expectations: Sims said it should be made clear that school attendance is non-negotiable. “Let me say this: might be controversial, but I’m gonna say it. Students shouldn’t get to decide if they want to go to school or not,” he said. “Not their decision. And if there’s something that they bring up that’s preventing them from coming to school, I think it’s our responsibility as adults to come to the school and say, ‘Listen. My child doesn’t want to come to school because of this. I need it addressed.’ And then you put it on us to address that issue.”

“‘I don’t feel like’ it my foot,” he added. “You’re not staying in my house while I’m going to work and paying these bills. I need you out my house. I need you in the school.”

Beyond absenteeism, Sims made these requests:

• “Please tell your students how much you love them.”
• “Please issue expectations on how you want them to behave inside the building.”
• Remind them daily the primary goal is to learn. “Imagine if you will every single parent, every single morning, telling every single child, that the reason you go to school is to learn, and don’t let your time be consumed by anything else more than that,” he said. “That’s my humble ask. I’m just asking y’all. I’m actually begging you to make this something that happens every single day.”

This conversation is timely, as Sims pointed out, with major testing scheduled for April.

“They won’t be able to demonstrate what they know if they’re not in school,” he said.

Parents and guardians who missed the live broadcast can still access Sims’ message through this link to the 22-minute video.