Dept. of Education to Intensify Efforts Against Chronic Absenteeism with DHS and Court Aid

Chronic absenteeism rates have surged to 38.4% in St. Croix, while dropping in St. Thomas, prompting the Department of Education to seek assistance from the Superior Court and DHS to address and mitigate the escalating issue effectively

“Schools are struggling with students who have issues attending school regularly.” That was Commissioner of Education Dionne Wells-Hedrington on Monday, as she promised lawmakers that the Department of Education would be cracking down on chronic absenteeism come September.

Education officials who continuously crunch attendance data have identified trends including “which days of the week have higher absentee rates, whether absenteeism is more prevalent in certain grades and among specific student demographics,” Mrs. Wells-Hedrington told members of the Senate Committee on Education and Workforce Development.

She said that VIDE is aware that “early identification enables timely intervention,” and noted that there is a “strong correlation between attendance and academic performance.” That is why the department has committed to ensuring students do not fall behind, pledging resources to tackle not just absenteeism but also to “identify issues such as bullying, lack of engagement, or other factors contributing to the negative environment.”