reported that nearly half of Los Angeles Unified School District students have been chronically absent for the 2021-2022 school year.noted that “the impact of missed school is being borne most heavily by the most vulnerable student groups.” In Los Angeles, the chronic absence rate — which is if a student misses 9% or more of the school year — is 57% for Black students, 49% for Latinos, and 68% for unhoused students.
The increase in absenteeism has put educators in a difficult position of deciding whether or not to move forward with lesson plans. Many teachers feel the pressure to keep moving along the curriculum to keep their students’ education — and funding — on track; several teachers have citedas a reason to continue the curriculum as planned despite increasing absentee levels.
Catching a child that was absent up to speed is also more difficult when it is a wave of kids as opposed to one or two students. “When I have five or six of those … it does take a lot out of the lesson and it slows down the pace of the entire class,”Some kids are able to catch up if they have parents or guardians who are able to assist, but that is not always an option for all families.