(The Center Square) − The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is joining forces with the Louisiana Supreme Court and the governor’s Office to tackle the growing issue of truancy and chronic absenteeism in the state’s K-12 schools.
During its Jan. 10 meeting, BESE voted to organize a statewide summit that will bring together educators, judges, social workers, faith-based leaders, and other community stakeholders to address the root causes of student absenteeism.
Chief Justice John Weimer of the Louisiana Supreme Court joined BESE’s meeting to discuss how the education and judicial systems can collaborate to provide better support for families and schools. Insights from Chief Justice Weimer, along with other judicial leaders, shaped the board’s decision to launch this initiative.
“There are both reactive and proactive ways to approach student attendance, and this joint effort reflects both,” said BESE President Ronnie Morris. “We know truancy is often linked to crime, and we must address its root causes with urgency. By working with the courts and community stakeholders, we aim to improve data reporting, identify solutions, and provide families with the support they need.”
Weimer echoed this sentiment, highlighting the judiciary’s long-standing community efforts through programs like Families in Need of Services and Judges in the Classroom. “If we don’t address attendance issues early, we’ll end up addressing the consequences of truancy in court. It’s a cycle we must break,” Weimer said.
Chronic absenteeism has become a pressing issue in Louisiana, with a statewide truancy rate of 41.8% in the 2023-24 school year and students missing an average of 11.6 days. In Baton Rouge, the numbers are even more pronounced, with truancy rates hovering around 55%.
BESE and the Louisiana Department of Education have been working to combat the problem through various initiatives, including the Success Through Attendance Recovery Task Force.
The group, active throughout 2024, delivered a report last month with recommendations for improving attendance, such as creating standardized attendance data systems and reducing the number of excused absences allowed by parent notes.
Dr. Sharon Clark, the BESE District 2 Member and chair of the STAR Task Force, stressed the importance of accurate data in tackling the issue. “We can’t solve the problem without consistent, reliable attendance data across all school systems,” she said.
The STAR Task Force’s report outlines steps to address absenteeism, including requiring schools to form teams dedicated to analyzing attendance data, establishing a standardized definition of chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of enrolled days, developing model programs in collaboration with juvenile court judges, limiting excused absences with parent notes to five per year, and expanding career exploration and extracurricular activities to improve student engagement.
This isn’t BESE’s first partnership with the judiciary. In 2021, BESE and the Louisiana Supreme Court expanded the Judges in the Classroom program, which fosters positive student interactions with the legal system. The upcoming summit builds on that collaboration, aiming for a comprehensive, statewide approach to improve attendance and student outcomes.
“Imagine if our truancy rate was 5% instead of 55%,” Morris said, urging stakeholders to envision the untapped potential in Louisiana’s youth. “We owe it to our students, families, and communities to make this a reality.”
