January 2026 | Vol. 12 Iss.1
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Chronic absenteeism: Causes and effects By Jet Burnham | j.burnham@mycityjournals.com Why are students missing class so often and why does it really matter?
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n recent months, City Journals has highlighted educators’ response to the Utah State Board of Education and Jordan School District’s attendance initiatives. And while they have developed programs and measured improvement, educated parents and incentivized students there is still a question about what is the root cause of the state’s increased rates of chronic absenteeism (defined as two absences per month)? “We’re still trying to figure out what might be at the heart of it,” Jordan School District Health and Wellness Director McKinley Withers said. He said the increased absence trend cannot be traced to one factor. It affects all schools, at all levels and in all communities. Since August, JSD schools have been keeping detailed attendance records to track patterns in students’ absences, both excused and unexcused. “The schools can drill down into that information very quickly to see and to help them address the absences,” JSD Attendance and Prevention Specialist Michelle Reyes said. “We’re really trying to help the schools and the ones that are working with these students figure out what is the root cause and how we can connect them to some resources to help remove that barrier and get them back into school.”
Parent choice and attendance
Students miss school for a wide variety of reasons but some evidence points to parents’ attitudes about school attendance as a contributing factor of chronic absenteeism. Illness is the most common reason parents keep their child home from school, which schools encourage. However, determining how sick and how long is up to the parent and can vary widely. But parents excuse their child’s absences for other, less universally accepted reasons. On a social media post, teachers and
parents recently discussed what reasons for absences are valid and which are not. A secondary teacher said she is surprised at how many parents excuse their teenager’s absence when they stayed up too late the night before and were too tired to attend. One parent admitted they let their teen skip class if it is a “wasted day” such as a makeup work day or the class has a substitute teacher. Several parents downplayed the worry over absences because students have the opportunity to easily make up the work they missed online. Occasionally, families prioritize family time over class time. Students miss school for family vacations, sports competitions, parent lunch dates, family ski days, etc. Reyes said there are parents that keep a child home from school to babysit younger siblings while they are at work, or they allow older children, who contribute to the family’s finances, to miss class when it conflicts with their work hours. Transportation problems are a common Vacations are among the reasons kids miss school. (Photo by Naré Gevorgyan on Unsplash) cause of students missing a partial or whole day of school. Cars break down, kids miss the bus after their parents have already left for work and parents keep kids home rather you want to do when you’re depressed, but and resources to address the underlying it’s typically just going to make it worse. We issues causing students to resist going to than risk driving in bad weather. can do a lot to address that and overcome school, whether the anxiety is based on menThe impact of mental health on attendance those barriers, but we don’t typically rec- tal, social or physical health factors. School-based therapist Kevin Mossel, Withers said poor attendance can be ommend to someone who’s really struggling rooted in social and mental health challeng- that they just don’t come to school because LCSW, said it is common for students with mental and physical differences, such as es, which is why Reyes, with her attendance they’re struggling.” JSD mental health employees work OCD, ADHD, autism or other special needs, focus, joined the Wellness Department with students to address and overcome their to resort to school refusal behaviors. He exthis year. “We’re trying to bridge all of those re- mental health barriers and break poor atten- perienced this struggle as a parent of two children with high functioning autism. sources and consolidate those efforts so that dance habits. “My child knew they were different, “Sometimes the problem is perpetuatit’s all really one thing,” Withers said. “We want your kids to be successful and healthy, ing itself, because students are disengaged and everyone else knew they were differand part of that is attendance. Part of being from life, they’re not coming to school, ent, so they would just rather avoid going healthy allows for attendance, so it’s a really they’re sitting around at home, they’re not to school than be noticed by their peers and making a lot of contacts, so that is more adults because of this feeling of being differimportant relationship there.” Students who experience anxiety and likely to just make depression worse,” ent,” Mossel said. Children who are distressed and engage depression often don’t want to go to school, Withers said. “So I think for the most part, but taking a ‘mental health’ day isn’t usually when it comes to mental health, attendance in school avoidance behaviors may be experiencing fear and anxiety associated with is going to benefit kids.” the best approach, Withers said. JSD school-based therapists, who are “Usually people are better when they’re Continued page 5 around others,” he said. “Isolation is what mental health professionals, have the skills