High Teacher Absence Rate In Hinsdale D-86

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale High School District 86's teacher absence rate was higher than the state average and second highest among 30 area districts, state figures show.

Last school year, 47 percent of District 86's teachers were absent 10 or more days, compared with 34 percent statewide, according to the Illinois Report Card website.

Patch reviewed the rates in 30 area districts. District 86's rate is tied with those in Darien District 61 and Mannheim District 83. The highest rate in the area was Lombard District 44's, at 48 percent.

Under state law, the rate does not include absences for professional development, leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, long-term disability or parental leave.

Asked about the teacher absence rate, District 86 spokesman Chris Jasculca pointed to a couple of frames in a recent presentation about the district's most recent state report card.

The presentation noted that days off because of the coronavirus were included in a teacher's absence rate.

"(T)he rate for our district was impacted by the direction from the state that all COVID-related absences, including the ones where employees needed to stay home to care for their children, be factored into the calculation," Jasculca said in an email.

The U.S. Department of Education sees teacher attendance as a leading indicator of student achievement. Teachers with regular attendance provide continuity of instruction and attention to individual students, according to the Illinois Report Card.

"The National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that when teachers are absent for 10 days or more, student outcomes decrease significantly," the report card said. "Teacher absence results in loss of instruction time for students, as well as financial concerns to the district when substitutes must be employed."

Source: Illinois Report Card, 2021-2022