Chronic absenteeism in schools is a nationwide problem. Utah is right to begin tackling it through a campaign initiated by the state board of education, but the best solutions are most likely going to involve personal, case-by-case intervention.

Education experts trace the bulk of this problem to the COVID-19 pandemic, when school patterns were disrupted and many students were forced to participate in online-only learning daily.

Writing for The Hechinger Report , Jill Barshay noted that the problem seemed to peak nationwide in the 2021-22 school year, but that it remains at 23.5% nationally, which is far above the 15% before the pandemic.

Who is chronically absent?

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. In Utah, the numbers roughly follow national

See Full Page