Proclamation of September as Attendance Awareness Month
WHEREAS good attendance is essential to student achievement and graduation, and we are committed to dedicating our resources and attention to reducing chronic absenteeism rates, with a focus starting as early as kindergarten,
WHEREAS chronic absence – missing 10 percent or more of school for any reason including excused and unexcused absences, or just two or three days a month – is a proven predictor of academic trouble and dropout rates,
WHEREAS improving attendance and reducing chronic absence takes commitment, collaboration and tailored approaches to particular challenges and strengths in each community,
WHEREAS chronic absence predicts lower third-grade reading proficiency, course failure and eventual dropout, it weakens our communities and our local economy,
WHEREAS the impact of chronic absence hits low-income students and children of color particularly hard if they don’t have the resources to make up for lost time in the classroom and are more likely to face systemic barriers to getting to school – such as unreliable transportation, lack of access to health care, unstable or unaffordable housing,
WHEREAS schools and community partners can reach out more frequently to absent students to determine why they are missing school and what would help them attend more regularly,
WHEREAS schools and community partners must do more to track, calculate and share the data on how many students are chronically absent so that we can deliver the right interventions to the right students,
WHEREAS chronic absence can be significantly reduced when schools, parents and communities work together to monitor and promote good attendance and address hurdles that keep children from getting to school,
WHEREAS engaging parents and the community – including civic and elected leaders, local businesses, faith based members and nonprofit organizations – to help us spread the message that good attendance matters and helps us come up with solutions to ensure all children are in school as much as possible.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that as the Adams County Board of County Commissioners, City of Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Westminster, Thornton and Adams 12 Five Star Schools, Adams 14 School District, Adams 50 School District, Mapleton Public Schools, and School District 27J proclaim that our community will stand with the nation and Adams County partners in recognizing September as “Attendance Awareness Month.” We hereby commit to focusing on reducing chronic absenteeism to give all children an equitable opportunity to learn, grow and thrive academically, emotional and socially.
The Proclamation
