TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Any teacher will tell you learning happens in the classroom, and yet, chronic absences are an ongoing problem in Arizona.

Data from the Helios Education Foundation shows 24 percent of Arizona students were chronically absent last school year, missing at least 10 percent of their classes.

To decrease chronic absences, experts said hands-on learning and personal connections between teachers and students can help.

Caitlin Reynolds, an AgriScience teacher at Flowing Wells High, allows students to design their own projects called Supervised Agriculture Experiences and was recently nominated as a Top Teacher in Arizona.

She said many different types of students are able to flourish in her class, even those who struggle in school.

“My biggest ones are the ki

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