(The Center Square) — While Caddo Parish is now a B-rated school district, there are still things to improve in the coming years.
Caddo Parish Public Schools Superintendent Keith Burton spoke on the shortcomings and gaps regarding truancy, behavioral issues, and Special Education in a recent school board meeting on March 4.
Caddo Parish is one of the largest school districts in the state with nearly 37,000 students. Teachers, principals, and residents have all expressed concerns over excessive absences, extreme behavioral issues, and noticeable achievement gaps in Special Education.
Absences and overall truancy issues have been ongoing in Caddo Parish since COVID-19 when the number of students missing 10+ days went from 379 in 2018-2019 to 3,114 in 2022-2023.
“Our district always wants to ensure that we’re putting a child in the most least restrictive environment possible. We want that student to have as great of success as possible. But, we do feel that a lot of what we’re doing is not working, so because of that, what I’m doing today is bringing you a plan to address these major areas,” said Burton.
Truancy percentages for 2024-2025 data show nearly 39% of elementary students missing days in school.
“When a kid is not coming to school at the elementary level, that is not the child’s fault,” said Burton. “That’s a family situation that we need to address.”
One avenue they aim to explore is the current policies and procedures in place for absences and tardies at the state and local levels. As of now, if a student accrues too many absences, a phone call or letter is automatically generated.
Burton expressed it could be beneficial to have a specific team to monitor and take care of student absences. They are using data-driven material to identify why students are missing class, and also identifying specific plans for each student instead of using an overall disciplinary action.
Regarding special education achievement gaps, Burton’s presentation outlined specific things they’re looking to implement. The plan is to place certified district staff in the special education vacancies to ensure those students are getting the proper education they need.
Burton said that special education generally has a higher level of vacancies when it comes to teachers, so oftentimes, students are learning from someone who is not qualified to teach students with these specific needs. Taking action to change this and also doing a thorough review of student individual education plans will help determine what is best for the students.
“We have to remember special education is for Special Education, that means that one size does not fit all for these students, and I hate that we’ve treated it that way for so long,” said Board Member Katie McLain. “I’m glad we’re going to take time to assess each student.”
Buron identified the gaps in their training, saying they need to increase professional development within these programs while also reviewing what specific programs are being provided to schools in the district.
When it comes to behavioral problems exhibited within schools, many of these issues, according to Burton, can be addressed and rectified by fixing issues in the other areas of student success and support in the classroom. Many kids don’t come to school if they aren’t doing well and sometimes extreme behaviors can lead to absences also.
“While we are so proud of our B-rating and our growth, we’ve got to commit to a new set of strategies to challenge the status quo if we’re really going to make the greatest bit of difference,” said Burton.
