Attendance Task Force

You may have seen the Attendance Hero posters in our school buildings, encouraging students to come to school every day. The initiative, developed through the District's Attendance Task Force, is an effort to curtail chronic absenteeism and remind students and families that every day at school counts.

According the National Center for Education Statistics, students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance.

Poor attendance has serious implications for later outcomes as well.

While absenteeism rates have steadily decreased since the COVID pandemic, attendance still lags significantly behind pre-pandemic norms across the state. In Davison, during the 2024-25 school year, approximately 20 percent of our students were considered chronically absent, meaning they missed 10 percent of the days they are enrolled, In Michigan, chronic absenteeism was reported at nearly 28 percent for the 2024-25 school year. Nationally, the state continues to rank in the lower tier - within the bottom 10 states - when it comes to chronic absenteeism rates.

"One of our priorities this year is improving student attendance, especially chronic absenteeism, across the district," said Superintendent Matt Lobban. "We know there is a strong connection between consistent attendance and student achievement, but we also know that attendance is an important part of connection and belonging. Students do their best when they are present, engaged and surrounded by teachers, staff and classmates who care about them. This isn’t just a district goal; we want our students and families to understand that every day matters, and when a student isn’t here, they are missed and missing out."

Assistant Superintendent Amy Chorley heads up the Davison Community Schools Attendance Task Force.

"This is the team's first year-long initiative," she said. "We will focus on raising awareness of the impact attendance has on student success while connecting families with resources and support."

Mrs. Chorley said many of the ideas and planned activities came from the national research-based initiative, Attendance Works, and the Genesee County Attendance Task Force

"We also hope to incorporate opportunities throughout the year to recognize and celebrate students for strong attendance and improved attendance," she said. "We want Attendance Hero to be about progress and encouragement—not simply perfect attendance—and to reinforce the positive habits that help students succeed."

For September and October, the Task Force will focus on building momentum and relationships with students. Activities will include finding ways to recognize good and improved attendance, reaching out to families of students showing early warning signs of chronic absenteeism and launching Student Attendance Success Plans for at-risk students.