Message from Interim Superintendent Irma D. Trosclair September, 2019

Dear LPSS Parents/Guardians:

I hope that this has been a successful start of the new school year for you and your children. We have enjoyed having students back and are working to ensure that each child has access to high quality teaching and learning.

As we move forward, I want to remind you of the importance of student attendance. September is Attendance Awareness Month, a nationwide initiative intended to bring awareness to the importance of student attendance. Missing too much school has long-term effects on students, such as lower achievement, struggles with reading, and an increased risk of not graduating from high school.

Please consider the following:

• Elementary students who are absent have lower test scores, a lower likelihood of being on-track in high school, and a lower likelihood of graduating from high school.

• Studies indicate that students can fall behind even if they miss only one to two days per month.

• Missing two days a month means that a child misses 10 percent of the school year and this is directly linked to lower academic performance.

• By 6th grade, chronic absences become a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.

• When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.

Chronic absenteeism often starts very early and can have serious consequences throughout a child’s academic career. Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade have difficulty keeping up with their peers, fall behind in reading, and have a greater chance of becoming a high school dropout.

Simply put, students aren’t learning if they are not in class. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused, a student never gets back a missed day of learning. School attendance is critically important and something that we take very seriously.

Parents, we want all students to have every opportunity to reach their fullest potential and ask for your help in preparing your child for future success by making school attendance a priority. We want all students to benefit from the outstanding academic and social initiatives in our schools; however, we can’t teach students who aren’t in school.

In recognition of Student Attendance Month, we plan to highlight schools that successfully partner with parents and students in increasing student attendance rates. A collective focus on attendance with schools, parents, and the community working together will help students be more successful academically, socially, and emotionally.

For your reference, LPSS student attendance policies can be found here LPSS Student Attendance Policies.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

• September 16, 2019: District Inservice Day, Students do not report

• September 17, 2019: 1st Nine Weeks Progress Reports (Parents are encouraged to carefully review this first progress report and if you have concerns about your child’s progress, schedule teacher conferences so that all parties are working together in the best interest of student achievement and success. Now is the time to address concerns you have relative to your child’s progress.)