NEW ROADS - A new study shows truancy in Louisiana schools has spiked since the pandemic, and one parish is at the top of the list.

A new analysis from the Public Affairs Research Council says truancy has jumped to about 40 percent statewide. The state defines it as five or more unexcused absences in a semester.

Right now, Pointe Coupee Parish leads the state, with two out of every three students truant.

“That’s very disheartening, because we as educators know that we need children in classrooms with the teachers, because so much instruction takes place that they miss when they're not present,” Superintendent Kim Canezaro said.

Canezaro says the numbers are higher than before Covid, but the district is taking action. Pointe Coupee Schools partners with the sheriff’s office, where one

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