Dublin City Schools reports major drop in chronic absenteeism
"If we're talking about responding to our students and being mindful of the safety and the well-being of our students, we've got to reach out to the parents early.”
DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – While summer break is quickly approaching for students across Middle Georgia, one school district is determined to keep the momentum going after making huge strides in reducing chronic absenteeism.
According to the Dublin City School District, the absenteeism rate was 30.7% during the 2022- 2023 school year. Skipping forward to this school year, they say that number has drastically fallen to just 11.9%.
The district emphasizes early intervention is essential in maintaining low absenteeism rates.
Dr. La’Ronda Fleming, the Federal Programs Director for Dublin City Schools, explained teachers take attendance first thing in the morning. She says if a student is absent, engagement coordinators, teachers and the attendance team will reach out to parents immediately to find out why the student is not in class.
She noted the importance of not waiting until the end of the day to contact parents.
“It is already too late. If we’re talking about responding to our students and being mindful of the safety and the well-being of our students, we’ve got to reach out to the parents early,” said Dr. Fleming.
According to Director of Behavioral Health and Wellness with Dublin City Schools, Tonya Spaulding, they don’t stop at a phone call. She says they’ll make house calls when deemed necessary.
The district also offers services to support families through ‘Irish Healthcare’, a clinic that provides mental and physical healthcare services. Spaulding says the clinic has served over 500 individuals since its opening in January.
“When a student has a doctor’s appointment. They’re coming here to the health care center,” said Spaulding. “They’re being bused over by our very own Transportation Department. Our buses, they’re coming to the health care center, visiting with our nurse practitioner and our doctor, Dr. Walters. And then guess what? They’re able to return back to school.”
The building houses nurses and two mental health counselors, reinforcing the district’s commitment to student wellness.
Dr. Michael Overstreet, Principal of Dublin High School, emphasizes the importance of incentivizing attendance. He explains highlighting attendance encourages students to be present.
“Keeping attendance out in front of the consciousness of our students and of our parents and our school community, really helps to encourage students to be regular in attendance,” he said.
According to the district, each school features family engagement personnel and dedicated attendance teams focused on continuous improvement.
