OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – A Democratic state representative led an interim study Tuesday examining why students miss excessive school days and what programs successfully boost attendance rates.
Rep. Ellen Pogemiller of Oklahoma City held the study in front of the Common Education Committee, focusing on chronic absenteeism, which occurs when students miss at least 10% of school days.
“We know kids don’t learn if they don’t show up,” Pogemiller said. “I have also heard from school counselors that the biggest issues seen in schools are the ones that occur outside of the school. This means that schools cannot solve chronic absenteeism on their own.”
Housing instability drives attendance problems
During the study, data revealed the scope of housing instability among students over the past three years. Records showed 2,121 students faced at least one eviction filing, while 467 students encountered eviction proceedings twice and 327 students dealt with three or more filings. Some students experienced up to 11 eviction cases…