KCRG reports from Dubuque, Iowa: Chronic absence is becoming a bigger problem in Iowa, and leaders in the Dubuque community are trying to fix it.
If a student misses 10% of school, they are “chronically absent.” The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque says that in 2022, 26.4% of kids in Allamakee, Clayton, Dubuque, and Jackson counties were chronically absent. This is up from 11.6% in 2019.
The non-profit got a grant from the Iowa Bureau of College Aid for $60,000 to help stop the trend.
“Students who miss more than 18 days of school a year are hard to prepare,” said Shirley Horstman, who is in charge of school attendance and college access for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.
The foundation is having meetings to talk about how to get around problems like mental health, transportation, and finding affordable child care.
Horstman asked, “What are those skills for college and work that might get more kids to go to school?” “What are the problems we need to figure out before we move forward and make a plan for the grant’s duration?”
After the talks, people will try to work with families to get past those problems.
By the 2025–26 school year, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque wants to cut down on chronic absences by 4%.
That kids should be in school is important. “That’s when they’re interested in learning,” said Rebecca Fellenzer, Director of Student Services for the Dubuque Community School District.
“When they’re in school, they’re learning the material and getting along well with their classmates.”
In order to follow a new state law, the Dubuque Community School District is changing its rules about attendance.