61% of area students are chronically absent
‘Families do not get off the hook in this’
Chronic absenteeism in Rockford Public Schools skyrocketed after the global pandemic of 2020, making it more difficult for schools to raise already lagging literacy, academic proficiency and graduation rates.
According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, 61% of Rockford Public Schools students were absent — with or without a valid excuse — for 18 days or more in 2022, missing roughly 10% of the school year. That was more than double the state average of 30%.
And last year’s staggering rate of absenteeism was 25.6 points higher than the 35.4% it was in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Ehren Jarrett told area business leaders at a recent Greater Rockford Chamber of Commerce event that it is “devoid of logic” to think students can catch up to the rest of Illinois academically if they aren’t in school.
“Graduation rates, third-grade reading, the on-track rate for middle school students — none of that is getting better if we have students missing 18 days or more of the school year,” Jarrett said. “We need to be gaining on other communities, gaining on growth, not taking a step back.”
Schools have to do a better job of engaging students, but families have to do more to get students to school, he said.
There are plans to provide more transportation options for students who are chronically absent, Jarrett said. School officials also are planning to work with focus groups of families and students to drill down into the root causes of chronic absenteeism.
Although Jarrett suspects transportation and lack of student interest or engagement are issues, he said that he wants to avoid making assumptions and hear from students and families.
“Families do not get off the hook in this,” Jarrett said. “We cannot tolerate students missing 10% or more of the school year. We have to challenge families to be part of this chronic absenteeism issue. We can run the best schools, the best programs and extend the school day, but it won’t help if students aren’t there.”