Excessive Unexcused Absences at School Can Hurt Your Child's Future: FCPS

Unexcused absences from school can hurt your child’s chances for success in the future, according to Fairfax County Public Schools. To combat the problem, the school system is opening a dialogue with families, starting with a meeting Monday morning.

How bad is the problem? Fairfax County Public Schools saw, in the 2013-14 school year:

• More than 16,000 students had more than five unexcused absences.

• More than 4,500 had between 10 and 20 unexcused absences.

• More than 2,000 had more than 20.

The causes are varied, FCPS says, but when students are absent, they miss out on more than instruction. The long-range consequences can include future jobs, living standards, earning power and self-sufficiency.

The impact is also significant beyond the school yards, the school system points out: Businesses lose out on a skilled workforce that contributes to economic growth and success. Neighborhoods lose out on the contributions of residents actively invested in serving their community.

If you are a concerned parent, you can join officials Monday night from Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools in a Community Dialogue on School Attendance to examine the impact of school truancy and chronic absenteeism.

FCPS will outline the challenges and develop strategies to ensure that all students are willing and able to attend school while receiving family and community support for their education.

Here’s more about Monday night’s meeting, from Fairfax County Public Schools: Join officials from Fairfax County Government and Fairfax County Public Schools in a Community Dialogue on School Attendance to examine the impact of school truancy and chronic absenteeism. Together, we will outline the challenges and develop strategies to ensure that all students are willing and able to attend school while receiving family and community support for their education

Scheduled speakers and presentations.

WHAT: Community Dialogue on School Attendance — Hosted by Fairfax County Government, Fairfax County Public Schools and Fairfax County Successful Children & Youth Policy Team

WHEN AND WHERE: Monday, Sept. 21, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax Va., 22035

WHO

Speakers

· Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova

· Fairfax County School Board Chairman Pat Hynes

· Fairfax County Government County Executive Edward Long

· Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza

Presenters

· Dr. Mary Ann Panarelli, Director, Intervention and Prevention Services, Fairfax County Public Schools

· Vidhya Ananthakrishnan, Project Director, Center on Youth Justice, Vera Institute of Justice

· Jodi Martin, Program Coordinator, Clark County Juvenile Court, Vancouver, Washington