As school starts in McHenry County, districts make sure kids get to class, with what they need to succeed

Woodstock School District 200 officials went on a back-to-school tour last week.

At a dozen schools and apartment complexes around town, teachers and administrators handed out snacks, pizza and school supplies to children and families. It offered staff members a chance to see former students, and the district a chance to connect with the community before classes begin for the new year in the district Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Suzanne Evenson, assistant principal at Verda Dierzen Early Learning Center, was out at some of the stops on Tuesday’s tour. She saw some of her past students, and she got to hear about all their summer plans. She said it was a good way to start the year.

[ Photos: Woodstock District 200 'Back to School Coming to You' tour ]

One thing her school did last year to improve communication and make it easier for parents to relay attendance issues was getting the school secretary a cellphone. Parents feel like texting is accessible, Evenson said, and, for instance, they can text in and let staff know if they’re late.

“Everyone texts in our world today,” Evenson said.

At Verda Dierzen, Evenson said, partnerships between the school, families and wider community “are essential for our students’ success.”

Some of the parents at the tour appreciated the complimentary school supplies, especially given the pinch that many households have felt by inflation in recent years. Back-to-school season tends to focus on necessities like clothes that children have outgrown, and buy-now-pay-later services are getting more common, according to Associated Press reporting, adding that school spending is forecast to be down this year versus prior years.

Tavena Mejdouli, who was at the tour stop at the Sheila Street apartment complex Tuesday, said her family was new to the Woodstock area after a military retirement in the family. Mejdouli said a nice school district was a must for the family, and they spent six months looking for a new home.

“We’re really happy to be here,” Mejdouli said.

The family has experienced some financial hardship, and the free school supplies helped ease the school supply budget, Mejdouli said.

“It’s all the little things that matter to me,” Mejdouli said.

Samantha Schumacher was at the tour stop at Northwood Middle School and Verda Dierzen Early Learning Center with her son, Oliver. Schumacher also has another child, a sophomore in high school, who she said was learning to drive this year. She also said the free supplies with help ease her back-to-school financial pressure and “it helps save money.”

District 200 Superintendent Michael Moan also said the Back to School tour was a great opportunity to connect with families.

The outreach comes as chronic absenteeism has climbed in the District 200 – and in many McHenry County school systems – in recent years. District 200 had a chronic absentee rate of slightly more than 28% in 2023, the latest data available.

For Moan, building those positive relationships can help tough situations like attendance problems. He said the district and its schools also do other outreach during the year.

“They go hand-in-hand, for sure,” Moan said.

Attendance has also been an issue in nearby Huntley Community District 158. The district has been trying to combat absenteeism and recently updated its attendance policies. Some of those changes include clarifying what counts as an excused absence. Something like a college visit for seniors is excused, while a vacation is not, according to district documents.

District 158 officials said parents always have the ability to decide whether to send their child to school, but the district gets the final say of whether or not the absence is excused.

District officials also announced a campaign to emphasize attendance.

The McHenry County Regional Office of Education also is working on getting messaging through about the importance of being at school.

Regional Superintendent Diana Hartmann said her office also plans to work with the districts on the attendance and absenteeism issue.

She said she perceives a cultural shift in attitudes about the importance of school attendance and is focusing on shifting “that culture back.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, many county districts have seen an uptick in chronic absenteeism. Hartmann said the chronic absentee rate countywide was about 21.5% in 2023. She also said she disagreed with a state law implemented in 2022 that allows students to take up to five mental health days per school year.

“People are using that too leniently,” Hartmann said. Those days “contribute to chronic absenteeism.”

However, it’s not just COVID-19 or mental health that’s causing chronic absenteeism.

“I think there’s multiple factors involved,” Hartmann said, adding an attendance campaign is “on the agenda” for the office.

Huntley District 158 rolled out plans last week for its attendance campaign. The Huntley schools also open for the new year Wednesday.

Last year, the Illinois Report Card showed Huntley 158 had a chronic absenteeism rate of roughly 26%, compared to the state rate of 28.3%. Chronic absenteeism is defined as students missing 10% or more of the school year, regardless of if it was excused or unexcused. That works out to missing about two school days per month, District 158 Superintendent Jessica Lombard said.

For this year’s report card, Lombard said the data was still embargoed but hinted the numbers were trending in the right direction, telling the school board, “we’re excited.”

Lombard filled in the school board last week about work the district has done on the attendance front, as well as share some details about the upcoming campaign.

“We need to reset some of our expectations,” Lombard said.

Those expectations for attendance include that kids should be in school when able, parents should prioritize student attendance during the academic year and schools should make a welcoming and engaging environment, Lombard said.

September is Attendance Awareness Month. District 158 officials plan to share information about it this month but also plan to use social media for the campaign as well.

“Your presence is your power” is the slogan of the campaign.

“Helping students understand [that] by being present at school, it’s your power to be able to obtain the skills, it’s your power to be able to find opportunities that will help you meet your lifelong goals, it’s your power to have a voice and a say in the courses that you’re taking or the path that you’re getting” to show how you’ve reached success or mastery, Lombard said.

Some of the messaging that will be shared on social media and in newsletters will include graphics that highlight data, such as that almost 90% of students who miss 15 days per year in high school later drop out of college.

Board member Dana Wiley said at the meeting last week that she’s “just very proud of the fact that this work has been done and we have something concrete and we’re willing to push it out there, because I think this is what’s going to continue to make this district that destination district that we say that we are.”