Attendance Matters!

 

Over 8 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year ( Read more here) and in Moab our attendance rates are in the mid to high 80's. That means more than 150 students are missing school every day! Beyond it being such a high number of students, for many of these 150 the frequency that they miss is also concerning - these absent students aren't just missing a day or two, but many are missing dozens of days and it becomes very hard to catch up!

 

To change the game, Grand County School District is challenging our schools to increase their attendance to over 92% by the end of the year. We are doing so by spreading the word, through special recognition, positive phone calls, by shoutouts on announcements on social media and in hallways, and with whole class and individual prizes! We are hoping to not only move the needle this year, but begin to change the culture for years to come. 

 

We know that when students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating(Read more here).  We are working with businesses to spread the importance of attendance by sharing our Attendance Matters materials in their lobby's and on restaurant tables. Many businesses are also helping by providing prizes to classes each week who match or rise above the 92% attendance rate. 

 

Good attendance is good prevention - by being in school children have more chances of developing social skills and confidence that will serve them throughout their life, building friendships, building self esteem, identifying positively as learners and students, and by building relationships with adult mentors who will help them as they go through school. Our prevention partners at Seekhaven, Four Corners Behavioral Health, Moab Regional Hospital, Southeastern Utah Health Department and many others are working to help us make phone calls home, spread word to the community, are providing prizes and using their connections to support our work.