Melissa Keller has been a truancy officer in Lafayette Parish schools for nearly 20 years. Lately, she’s been busier than ever. Chronic absenteeism, or the share of students who miss at least 10% or more of a school year, surged after the pandemic. But as some parts of the country started to see a decline in absenteeism, Louisiana’s student absenteeism rate grew to 23% by 2022-23 – an increase over the previous school year and nearly double the pre-pandemic rate. (Statewide numbers for the 2023-2024 school year have not yet been released.)