On the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, schools across the nation have faced a wave of chronic absenteeism among students of all grade levels.

 Assistant Superintendent of Parsons schools Jeff Pegues says students missing many days of school has been a big problem nationally and locally.

While some might guess that student absenteeism is highest at the middle school or high school level, the greater issues actually happen at the elementary school level. Most chronic absenteeism in Parsons has occurred among kindergarten and first graders. For the 2021-2022 school year, absences at Lincoln and Garfield Elementary schools in Parsons neared 50%. Pegues says this alarming number prompted the school district to take action.

Some of the new initiatives include creating welcoming environments and routines in the morning, Fun Fridays, drawings for perfect weekly attendance, and teaching the importance of good attendance. So far this year, chronic absenteeism at Garfield is at 18% and at Lincoln School it is down to 30%.