Editorial: If we want students in school, teachers must set example

School absenteeism has been such a problem that last year, Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper went on a door-knocking venture to homes of kids with a history of chronic no-shows.

Perhaps the state should revive that effort, this time with a focus on teachers and school staff.

According to new state data, Massachusetts K-12 public school teachers and staff missed an average of about 12 days in the 2024-25 school year.

That’s about on par with student attendance, which also saw an average statewide of about 93% or 11.9 days in the 2024-25 school year, according to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as students missing 10% of school days, or 18 days total. Missing about 12 days isn’t chronic, but’s it’