Report: Wisconsin Truancy Rates Soar in Past Decade
Many children in Wisconsin schools have not returned to class since the COVID outbreak.
A new report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty looks at the spike in chronic absenteeism, particularly since the start of the 2020 school year.
“The first step in the education of a student is them being present to absorb the material. But when a student is regularly not in school, this process breaks down,” Will Flanders wrote in the report. “Getting kids into school on a daily basis is a responsibility shared by school districts and parents. While there is no one change that can magically reverse the downward trend in attendance, it is vital that this issue be at the forefront for policymakers concerned about the education of the next generation.”
The report shows truancy rates in Wisconsin public schools have more than doubled since 2012.
“About 10% of students were chronically absent in 2012 compared to more than 20% today,” the report notes.
The report also shows some