Latest news with #absenteeism
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
$1,000 bonus among efforts by schools to counter chronic absenteeism
Schools are paying students $1,000 bonuses to attend class as absenteeism continues to stalk American campuses five years after the pandemic. The rates of 'chronic' non-attendance - defined as students absent for 10 per cent or more of teaching per year - jumped 31 per cent year in the 2021-2022 academic year. But rates remain stubbornly high even four years after the coronavirus crisis, the Department of Education (DoE) figures show. Absenteeism has dropped to 19.3 per cent but student absences are 'more common' and 'more extreme' following the pandemic, a study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has found. The latest data, which includes figures through March 2025, shows absenteeism rates still remain 50 per cent higher than before Covid. Absenteeism declined 0.3 points since last year, but experts warn that at the current rate it will take at least two decades for student absence rates to return to pre-pandemic levels. Educators are trying to incentivize students to come to school, with some districts even paying students for their attendance. Others have encouraged teachers to have attendance count towards grades or limit the number of assignments that can be completed online, The Boston Globe reports. Twenty states reported that more than 30 per cent of their students missed at least three weeks of school in 2022-23, according to latest figures from the DoE. Absenteeism remains highest in Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico and the District of Columbia, the report - published earlier this year - revealed. Oregon recorded absenteeism levels of 44 per cent during the 2022-23 academic year, followed by Hawaii and New Mexico at 43 per cent. Washington DC, however, recorded an absenteeism rate of 47 per cent - the highest in the country, according to the data. The AEI report, which includes data from last year, found the highest rates of absenteeism are in Hawaii, which recorded a level of 34 per cent in 2024. Connecticut followed at 30 per cent and DC came ranked third worst at 29 per cent, according to the AEI data. Researchers say that absences derive from multiple - but often interconnected - factors including student disengagement, lack of access to student and family supports, and student and family health challenges. They allege absenteeism is highest among 'high-needs populations,' including students who come from low-income households. Students with disabilities are 36 per cent more likely to experience chronic absenteeism than students without disabilities, the DoE has found. Absenteeism is also 20 per cent higher among students who are English language learners than those who are fluent or native speakers. The DoE has called on states and school districts nationwide to address the factors driving absences and 'send a clear message' to students and families that children 'need to be in school.' District officials in Detroit, Michigan and Oakland, California, have used money to motivate students to come to school. Detroit spends up to $1,000 per student per year to encourage attendance, which experts allege increases attendance by as much as several days annually. A Boston School Committee member has called on officials to launch a similar program in the Massachusetts city, the Globe reports. Massachusetts recorded a statewide absenteeism level of 15 per cent last year, latest figures reveal. Other experts have encouraged schools to create 'negative nudges' or punishments for students who fail to meet attendance requirements. Robert Balfanz, of Johns Hopkins University School of Education, suggests that having attendance affect academic grades could get students who are on the verge of skipping to turn up to class. Tim Daly, CEO of education nonprofit EdNavigator, has suggested that schools increase attendance rates by helping tackle students lacking sleep. A survey conducted by the organization found that after sickness, 'not enough sleep' was the most common reason for student absences. Daly suggested schools could 'help kids with their nighttime routines' by disabling capabilities on district-issued technology at certain times. 'Sometimes when kids stay up too late, they're using the devices to "do homework" but really they're using them to stream,' he said during AEI's chronic absenteeism symposium in May. 'Not only would [disabling them] prevent them that, [schools] can message to parents, when that goes off, it's time to go to sleep.' Some school districts have even adjusted high school start times to better align with adolescent sleep cycles. Mary Beth Miotto, a pediatrician and former president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has also urged medical professionals to treat school attendance like a 'vital sign.' Miotto argued that high absenteeism negatively affects physical and mental health, such as increasing high school dropout rates and lowering life expectancy. She said it is critical for doctors to encourage parents to get their children to school and have positive conversations about attendance without sparking fears about truancy. The pediatrician believes that all primary care physicians, ER staff and urgent care doctors should be asking families about school attendance. 'We can pour all the money into schools and teachers, but if kids aren't showing up, it's not helping,' Miotto told the Globe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Tennessee school won't accept doctor's notes for absences
(NewsNation) — One Tennessee school district will no longer accept doctors' notes to excuse an absence despite objections from parents. Lawrence County School System officials said the school is instituting the policy to teach students work ethic and reliability, saying that students will be expected to go to work sick or injured as adults. It is also intended to address chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10 percent or more of instructional time. In the 2023-2024 school year, Lawrence County had a 14 percent rate of chronic absenteeism. With no federally mandated sick leave, many Americans do go to work when sick, but public health officials advise against it. Staying home when sick can reduce the spread of viruses like the flu and COVID-19 and protect vulnerable people in the community. The new attendance policy says students will simply be marked absent or present, with no options for doctors to verify a child is absent because they are sick or injured, need to stay home to recover or to prevent spreading contagious illnesses to their classmates. The policy is meant to help improve attendance rates, but parents have objected, noting that an absence for an illness like the flu could now mean a referral to the Lawrence County Juvenile Court for truancy. Children who get sick at school or are sent to school sick and sent home by a nurse will be counted as tardy. Three tardies will equal an absence. The new policy also says schools will start intervention after just three days, and eight or more days marked absent will result in a court referral. Other penalties could include failing a class or grade, not being allowed to participate in graduation or get a driver's license or permit. There will be exemptions for students with documented chronic illnesses and emergencies out of the student's control, as well as allowances for deaths in the family and some religious observances. The school district sent a letter to medical providers asking them to emphasize regular school attendance and warning that medical notes could imply students should stay home even after their health improves. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
French are told they 'don't work enough' as minister launches crackdown on Le Sickie to stop country slipping into bankruptcy
Workers in France have been told to stop being in denial and accept that they 'do not work enough' as the government aims to clampdown on soaring levels of absenteeism. Prime Minister François Bayrou is cracking down on those who pull a sickie in an attempt to 'reconcile the French with work', and save the country from bankruptcy. The country has fewer people working than its neighbours and spends the most on benefits, 'yet the French are increasingly dissatisfied with their public services and we are the most pessimistic country in the world', the prime minister said last week when laying out plans for next year's budget. President Emmanuel Macron tasked Bayrou with crafting a budget that shaves costs to bring down France's staggering debt and deficit - while also adding billions in new defense spending to face what Macron says are resurgent threats from Russia and beyond. His proposed measures include scrapping two public holidays, putting pressure on doctors to stop handing out notes for non-existent symptoms and getting people off work to tell their employers the medical condition they are suffering from. The level of absence from work in France is one of Europe's highest and at least double that of Britain. Nearly six percent of employees in the private sector are off sick from work at any time, while the rate of absenteeism has soared by 40 percent over the last five years. Between 2014 and 2022, there was a 79 percent increase in public servants taking sick leave. Meanwhile, people staying off work for 'psycho-social' conditions have jumped since the pandemic. The cost of these absences is estimated at up to 80 billion euros, or £69 billion. But his plans have sparked outrage among opposition groups on the left and right sides of the political spectrum. In addition, unions have accused the government of trying to 'destroy the health of the French' as they crack down on sick leave. Parliament is set to vote on Bayrou's 2026 budget this autumn. With no parliamentary majority, Macron's centrist grouping must win support from adversaries on the left and right to pass the budget.
Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
France clamps down on sick leave as bankruptcy looms
With their love of a long holiday, a coveted 35-hour working week and the 'right to disconnect' from office-related communication, many countries may gaze with envy at French working life. But a central tenet to what many in France would call a hard-fought right, is now at risk as authorities aim to curb a record rate of absenteeism that is costing the country billions more than its neighbours. François Bayrou, the centrist at the head of the minority government since December, has declared war on malingering as part of his drive to 'reconcile the French with work' — and save the country from looming bankruptcy. François Bayrou is aiming to discourage unwarranted sick leave MOHAMMED BADRA/EPA The French absentee level is one of Europe's highest and about double that of Britain and the United States. The cost is estimated at up to €80 billion, more than the state education budget.
The Guardian
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: Ley leads Coalition reform push, fears over school absenteeism, club's Savage truth
Morning everyone. Sussan Ley will preside over a crucial Coalition party room meeting today to outline her plans for a more ground-up policymaking process. There are calls for more action to stem the rising tide of absenteeism in schools, while a men-only Melbourne club plans to welcome 'lady guests'. Overseas, the Trump administration has again defended its bombing of Iran's nuclear sites and the Bezos wedding provides a perfect illustration of growing inequality. Savage stress | 'Lady guests' will be welcomed into one of Australia's oldest private clubs as the cost-of-living crisis pushes the men-only Melbourne Savage Club into a six-month trial of mixed dining. Ley's line | Sussan Ley will ask Coalition MPs to endorse a more inclusive policy development process designed to empower backbenchers and include more diverse voices as she tries to address some of the problems of the Dutton era. Exclusive | NSW government members have suggested cannabis reform is inevitable after a parliamentary inquiry found the current regime is discriminatory because people with means can obtain medicinal cannabis legally while others are criminalised. Country 'insult' | Queensland's Labor opposition claims the state's public servants have been issued a 'strict directive' not to include acknowledgments of country in email signatures, calling the policy an 'insult'. Exclusive | With a growing number of children missing more days at school, a new report has urged the federal government to collect national data on chronic absenteeism and embed layers of support in schools to tackle the crisis. Ayatollah threat | Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has threatened to respond to any future US attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East. The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth (pictured), has maintained that the strikes on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities were successful but – as senior international reporter Peter Beaumont writes – the saga is reminiscent of the tailoring of intelligence that led to the 2003 Gulf war. Australians who were advised by the government to flee Iran via its border with Azerbaijan meanwhile say they were marooned at the crossing without consular help for days. Border closure | Israel has closed crossings into northern Gaza, cutting the most direct route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of people at risk of famine, as airstrikes and shelling killed dozens more people in the devastated territory. In the West Bank, Palestinians are mourning three people they say were killed by the IDF when they tried to defend themselves against a group of 100 masked settlers. Mamdani's message | Zohran Mamdani said his brand of campaigning and leftist political stances can translate to anywhere in the US after he won a surprise victory in the Democratic party's mayoral primary in New York. 'Inequality spiral' | A group of 40 former presidents and prime ministers has warned the world is facing an 'inequality spiral' that could see the first trillionaires emerge while nearly half of humanity still languishes in poverty. Bezos bash | The €40m wedding party being hosted in Venice by Jeff Bezos and his wife-to-be, Lauren Sánchez, serves as a perfect illustration of such inequality with famous faces jetting from all over the world for the three-day bash. Newsroom edition: The risks for Australia in backing US military action Nour Haydar is joined by editor Lenore Taylor and deputy editor Patrick Keneally to discuss Australia's entangled relationship with the US. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ The first hearing of a Victorian parliamentary inquiry into the Andrews-era plan to demolish all 44 of the state's public housing blocks has brought the debate about the scheme to boiling point. Residents and advocates say it will mean the end of public housing and enable business interests to muscle in, while the government says it is not economic to keep maintaining the towers and that it will increase the stock of homes. Benita Kolovos listened in on the debates. Images from Mama, a series by Polish photographer Aneta Grzeszykowska of her daughter interacting with a silicone replica of herself, forms part of a new exhibition at the Buxton Contemporary gallery in Melbourne exploring memory and identity. Ariela Bard catches up with Grzeszykowska to find out what inspired her eerie work. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Cricket | Australia's bowlers hit back after a poor morning session to bowl out West Indies for 190 and regain the initiative in an absorbing and fluctuating first Test at Bridgetown. Football | Holly McNamara has scored her first international goal but Joe Montemurro was left with plenty to ponder after his side scratched out an unconvincing 3-0 win over Slovenia in Perth in his first outing as Matildas coach. In Miami, Juventus are playing Manchester City in the Club World Cup. Follow it live. Women in sport | The pay, ranking and status of female athletes should be protected when they have children, according to recommendations released yesterday and backed by the federal government. The Albanese government has listed white supremacist network Terrorgram as a terrorist organisation, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The Domain property portal says a Sydney apartment has sold for $141m to millionaire Yan Zhang, making it the most expensive home in the country. A detective who helped catch outback killer Bradley Murdoch tells NT News that Murdoch 'may have forgotten' where he disposed of Peter Falconio's body. And the Age says pressure is mounting on Carlton coach Michael Voss after a crushing defeat to Port Adelaide. Canberra | The Coalition is holding a party room meeting is behind held to discuss reforms and federal election review. Sydney | NSW political staffers are set to appear at Dural caravan plot inquiry. Perth | There is a sentencing due following the trial over the murder of Cassius Turvey. Technology | Melbourne is hosting the International EV Autoshow. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
