Chronic Absenteeism At LTHS 'Outrageous': Official

LA GRANGE, IL – The head of Lyons Township High School's board said this week that the level of chronic absenteeism was "outrageous" and "unbelievable."

During a meeting, board President Dawn Aubert said she had looked at the absenteeism numbers for Lyons Township and other schools. She said she saw a "degradation" in many places since the pandemic.

The state tracks the rate of students who are absent 10 percent or more of the days in a school year, whether excused or not. For a 180-day year, that means a student missed at least 18 days, or 3½ weeks.

Last school year, 24 percent of students were chronically absent, down from 28 percent the previous year. The rate was 6 percent in 2019-20.

Principal Jen Tyrrell said the numbers are better so far this year, with 16 percent of students chronically absent.

At the same time, she said seniors are typically absent more often in the second semester of the year. That means a likely rise in absenteeism in the coming months.

After the first semester last year, Tyrrell said, the school sent letters to families of students who were chronically absent.

Research shows that when students and families are alerted to the numbers, that often prompts them to improve attendance, she said.

She said the school aims for a chronic absence rate of 15 percent or less.

"It continues to be a major area of focus for the building leadership team," Tyrrell said.