SALISBURY, Md.- Wicomico County Public Schools says chronic absenteeism is a problem across its schools, though a new campaign may be getting some students back on track.
According to the district, last year over a third of students were chronically absent, defined as missing 10 percent of the school year. This breaks down to 2 days a month. Supervisor Community Schools Tara O’Barsky says chronic absenteeism ultimately takes a toll on students.
“Chronic absenteeism impacts academic achievement, graduation rates, it impacts social emotional health mental health, so it affects so many different areas and has such long-term impacts negatively that it’s everybody’s problem,’” said O’Barsky.
So the district began a new campaign called ‘Arrive to Thrive’, which encourages more students to come to school. O’Barsky says this looks like healthy competitions between homerooms, and even prizes for students like a new bike donated to the district.
“If they’re not in school, you’re not getting you’re not having the ability to interact, socially with others you’re not having the ability to access your learning and all of that adds up and compounds, and the impact of that is just significant,” said O’Barksy.
O’Barksy says there are a range of reasons why students do not come to school.
“Some of it has to do with mental health, students experiencing anxiety, and since Covid, we’ve seen a lot more of that so we really have to hone in on those root causes so that when we get them into school, we can then provide them the support and resources to keep them in school,” said O’Barksy.
Other reasons may be food or clothing insecurities.
“We look to really figure out what is the root cause. We try to talk with families you know confidentially about what are the reasons how we can help,” said O’Barsky.
While the program only just began in Fall 2024, O’Barksy says the district has seen an increase of students coming to school.
