Keeping McHenry County students in school until graduation from high school is critical. Those students who have not completed high school have little chance of obtaining a job that provides a living wage. And many crimes are committed by young people without a high school diploma. McHenry County’s future hinges on our students’ success.
Truancy is defined as having more than nine unexcused, full-day absences. The primary purpose of truancy intervention is to find out the cause of why a student is not attending class and correct it.
Student truancy in McHenry County has increased over the past 10 years. The rise was greater during remote learning during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years. Experts project truancy in the coming school year to be just as big a problem, if not bigger. Getting students to return to in-class learning, particularly those in middle and high school, will be a challenge. Some students prefer remote learning, some students saw it as a way to avoid classwork and the regimentation of in-school schedules.
The schools in McHenry County do an excellent job at working to resolve individual student truancy. Deans and social workers work with the student and parents/guardians to understand the reasons behind the child missing school. They refer families to county agencies that may address the barriers to the student attending school regularly. However, the schools are not always successful.
When students don’t return, the school sends a referral to the truancy officer in the Regional Office of Education. By Illinois law, addressing the truancy of a student is a multistep process. Initially, the truancy officer sends a certified letter to the parents explaining that their student has had more than nine unexcused absences. This is followed by a telephone call to the parents. The truancy officer makes a visit to the home, speaking to the parent and student to learn why the student is not going to school. Often, the reason is as simple as needing an alarm clock, gym shoes or a coat. The ROE works to provide these items.
If the student’s truancy is not resolved, the truancy officer has a meeting with the parents and school to discuss the barriers to getting the child in school. The family is connected with appropriate community-based supports. If the student still does not return to school, there is an ROE hearing. If none of the previous interventions gets the student back in school, the case is sent to truancy court. The truancy remediation process will stop at any point once a student achieves regular school attendance.
While student truancy has been on the rise, McHenry County has reduced the number of truancy personnel from 2.5 positions in 2012 to one now. The one truancy officer covers a county of 611 square miles and a student population of 46,000. County schools have expressed a need for more services than one truancy officer can provide. The future of our young people and McHenry County depends on student attendance and completion of high school.
The McHenry County Board must support more truancy officers. Students are more important than new subdivisions.
• Leslie Schermerhorn is the McHenry County regional superintendent of schools.