WCPS addresses chronic absenteeism with new campaign

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. – Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, Wicomico County Public Schools has been fighting an epidemic of its own: chronic absenteeism.

In the last academic year, the district had a chronic absenteeism rate of 28%. School counselor, Jesse Serig said it’s a problem that can have long-lasting impacts on students.

“A lot of kids don’t realize, sometimes unfortunately until it’s too late, that what they do in their first term of their first year of high school will impact what they do in the next three or four years, upon graduation,” Serig said.

Supervisor of family, community and school programs, Tara O’Barsky told WMDT the causes for absenteeism can stem from inside and outside the classroom.

“There’s food insecurities, sometimes that’s a reason for not coming to school, and housing insecurities, so there’s a lot of nonacademic barriers to chronic absenteeism that we try to address,” O’Barsky said.

This fall, WCPS launched its Arrive to Thrive campaign, offering incentives to students for showing up to school, and education for families on the importance of attending classes. O’Barsky said since then, their absentee rates have been on a steady decline.

“Our Q1 chronic absenteeism data for this year’s term 1 is lower than last year’s term 1, and it’s lower amongst all the schools across the district,” O’Barsky said.