Florida legislators aim to crack down on chronic absenteeism in public schools

Florida lawmakers preparing to return to work Jan. 9 are set to address rising rates of chronic absenteeism among public school students.

Data from the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) and Department of Health demonstrate that absenteeism has hit its highest point since 2010.

One report from FDOE shows 24% of students attending a traditional brick-and-mortar school were absent for 10% or more of the 2020-21 school year.

The focus on absenteeism follows a state House Education Quality Subcommittee hearing last month in which state Rep. Dana Trabulsy noted a handful of schools are facing a 98% rate of chronic absenteeism.

“If we are not helping children to realize that school is important, then how are they going to realize that work is important? How are they going to show up to work? These are our future leaders, and we need to invest more in this important topic,” says Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce, who chairs the House Education Quality Subcommittee.

Florida’s are just some of the many education leaders across the country scrambling to address what has become a national spike in absenteeism. 

In school districts across the country, chronic absenteeism represents the lingering impact of pandemic-related school lockdowns and other restrictive policies. Over 13 million students were chronically absent from school last year – marking a nearly 100% leap in absenteeism from the prior year.  

Notably, Florida was one of the first states to reopen schools following the start of the pandemic, with Gov. Ron DeSantis ensuring that schools were open in-person five days a week as early as August 2020.  

Many other states maintained at least partial school closures well into 2021. 

Some of the cities and states with the harshest COVID-19 lockdowns and subsequent vaccine requirements are facing the most severe absenteeism rates, such as Washington, D.C., at 43% during the 2022-23 school year.  

School administrators across the country are seeking new ways to help get absent students to school. 

Parkrose School District in Oregon has announced that it, in partnership with Whirlpool, will install washers and dryers in three elementary schools to address hygiene disparities that may discourage kids from coming to class or parents from sending their kids to school.  

Though Florida lawmakers have a long road ahead of them in reducing the absenteeism trend, Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, observed the need to remind both the next generation and their parents about the importance of receiving an education. 

“We need to continue to make school a place that kids don’t want to miss, and parents are clear about the positive, important things that happen there every day,” says Canady, a teacher and administrator at Lakeland Christian School.