GRAVES COUNTY, Ky. — The new school year has started, but many local school districts are still struggling. It’s about chronic absenteeism — when a student misses more than 10% of the school year, or about 17 days. It’s gotten even worse since COVID, and school districts are still trying to address it.

According to the Kentucky Department of Education, before the pandemic, 5% of Kentucky districts had high or extreme rates of chronic absenteeism. Last year, that number rose to 77% of districts.

In the 2018-2019 school year, 12% of students in McCracken County were consistently absent. Last year, the figure was 19%.

At Graves County High School, only 15% of students were consistently absent during the 2018-2019 school year, compared to 20% last year.

That’s why Graves County High School is doing everything it can to keep kids in school.

At Graves County High School, classrooms filled with students ready to learn Monday afternoon. Twelfth-grader Hayden Thompson had perfect attendance last year.

“I want to make sure I do well here. First, because my parents allow me to. And second, because I truly believe that education is important and I would like to continue my education at a university,” Thompson said.

He said the attendance was important so he could continue playing baseball and see his friends. It also prepared him for the real world.

“Yes, because when I have a real job I have to go to work. And I’m a bit more motivated because I’m earning money. But I think good attendance gives me a real advantage because it helps me develop a good work ethic,” he says.

Janet Throgmorton, principal of Graves County High School, agreed that good attendance helps students today for their future.

“When employers call me about a student they want to hire, they very rarely ask about their grades. They want to know about their behavior. And do they come to school? Are they on time? Because that’s what employers want. So we really tried to get that across to our kids,” she said.

Parents who are having difficulty keeping their child in school should remember that keeping their child at home will only harm them.

“The district can report truancy, and the state has even changed some laws that dictate when we can file those reports. And, you know, a lot of these families and kids – they’re good kids, they’re good families – they’re just struggling to get to school,” Throgmorton said.

The school will continue to ensure that students create an environment that they enjoy coming to.

“We have interventionists trying to help them, and we put a lot of resources into the kids who have chosen not to be here and the kids who show up. And so it’s very difficult to get all of their stuff graded when they make it up when they come back. And, you know, there are just a lot of hurdles. We take them because we want the kids to be successful,” Throgmorton said.

“I would just say, just show that you can do it. That’s the least you can do. Just come and meet your friends,” Thompson said.

There is a new anti-truancy law in Kentucky that requires schools to notify the district attorney’s office if a student has 15 or more unexcused absences.

Read more about Kentucky’s new truancy laws online.