Unexcused Lee County school absences doubled since COVID-19

The Lee County school district said absences have doubled when compared to unexcused absences before the pandemic.

One of the main factors is believed to be a misunderstanding involving remote classrooms.

During COVID-19, Lee County schools allowed kids to participate in class via their chrome books. But, that’s not the case anymore. And that’s because the rules put in place during the pandemic are gone.

The Lee County school district said on average 8,000 students of all ages do not show up. That’s double the unexcused absence number before the pandemic.

Tammy Scott is the attendance coordinator for the Lee County school district.

“That means that students are not coming to school at all for even part of the day,” Scott said.

Scott said one problem is that students think going to class remotely is still a substitute for going to school.

“Last year, there were many families that I would talk with, and the child told mom and dad that it was okay for them to stay home and just work in Google Classroom. And mom and dad believed them,” Scott said.

While some may not fear that COVID-19 symptoms might keep their children home for a few days, missing class will impact your child according to Ph.D. Jackie Greene with FGCU’s college of education.

“When you miss chronically three, four, or five days in a row, then that long-term effect is, again, you’re lacking the foundational skills,” Greene said.

Nevertheless, Friday was a good day for Lee County schools. The district reported just under 5,000 unexcused absences. If a family does not notify the school that their child is sick, the absence is recorded as unexcused until a note is provided by the parents.

Click here to learn more about attendance and its importance to the Lee County school district.