Students at Alfred Fairfax Academy Work to Find Solutions for Chronic Absenteeism

A group of students at Alfred Fairfax Academy is modeling the way for tackling chronic absenteeism at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.

Composed of motivated juniors and seniors, the student committee was invited by the district’s Attend to Achieve initiative to brainstorm and propose solutions aimed at improving student attendance and tardiness among their peers.

On Thursday, October 9, the students presented their findings to district leadership, showcasing data-driven insights to student attendance.

Through their research and peer surveys, they uncovered several underlying reasons why so many of their classmates opt to stay home.

They pointed to a number of trends, including students who stay up late at night either on their phones or participating in other activities which leads them to not getting enough sleep—and oversleeping the next morning.

They also cited students who work, illness, and issues with transportation as factors in chronic absenteeism.

“What I learned is that I had problems myself years ago with the same situation and not coming to school,” shared Alfred Fairfax senior Destiny Robinson. “I was finally able to find a way and figure out why I wanted to be at school. Now, I love being at school.”

The committee didn’t have to look very far for solutions to chronic absenteeism. At Fairfax Academy, they are using an incentive-based system to encourage students not to miss school.

Students who have good attendance are given shout-outs during morning announcements and there are other prizes such as extended stays outside on the school’s campus that can be earned through a raffle.

They also created a laminated handout that communicates the importance of good attendance and the ramifications for missing school. A second handout focused on the transportation aspect of chronic absenteeism.

Students admitted that transportation plays a significant role in their absences. They pointed to late bus pickups as one of the key issues. When buses don’t arrive on time, students often bail and go back home.

The handout offered suggestions such as setting reminders to avoid missing the bus, arriving at the bus stop at least five to ten minutes ahead of time, and getting a good night’s sleep to help maintain a regular routine. They also inferred that there needs to be a commitment by the student to remain at the bus stop.

In their research they found that the Turner School district uses an app that provides updates to students needing information on their bus. The committee believes having something similar at KCKPS could help reduce absenteeism.

According to Miguel Martin, the Executive Director of Operations at KCKPS, the district does have a similar app. The service is currently being upgraded to a newer system, and the implementation should be completed by the end of 2026.

Overall, students on the committee believe they’ve come up with some solid solutions to combatting chronic absenteeism. “We did a pretty good job on finding information and the presentation went pretty smoothly. We did great,” said Alfred Fairfax senior Rubi Cereceres.

The project was a client-connected initiative launched by the leaders of Attend to Achieve at KCKPS.

Attend to Achieve is a program established by KCKPS to increase attendance awareness and address chronic absenteeism. The program aims to promote and encourage school attendance, recognizing that regular attendance is crucial for students’ learning and overall success.

It focuses on providing support and resources to students, families, and schools to help improve attendance rates and ensure that every child has a fair chance to learn and succeed.