Los Angeles Unified Kicks Off Attendance Matters Day
Hundreds fan out across the District to help chronically absent students return to school
LOS ANGELES (Sept. 18, 2019) Emphasizing the importance of every student attending school every day, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, School Board Members and hundreds of employees and community partners as they fanned out across Los Angeles Unified today to help chronically absent students return to school.
During Attendance Matters Day, officials joined attendance counselors and volunteers in knocking on doors of students who need additional support to re-enroll or to return to school. More than 5,000 students have returned to school since 2009, when the first coordinated effort – then called Student Recovery Day – began.
“We focus on attendance every day for the simple reason that if children are not in school, they cannot learn,” Superintendent Beutner said at West Adams Preparatory High School before visiting a home with Mayor Garcetti and Board Member Mónica García. “Students who are chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 15 days, are at serious risk of falling behind in school. We are helping raise awareness in the community as we all have a stake in the success of our students.”
“Each day, the City, the school district, and our communities work to ensure that every one of our kids receives a quality education, and nothing stands between them and the schoolhouse doors,” Mayor Garcetti said. “When we say that attendance matters, we are telling our children that they matter, their schools matter, and their future matters — not just to their families and neighborhoods, but to the progress and prosperity of our entire city.”
“In a perfect world, all of our students would have perfect attendance,” Board Vice President Jackie Goldberg said. “But we know that many of our students and families experience challenges that can cause missed school days. We are reaching out to families to say, ‘We’re here to help. Please come back.’ ”
“We want parents to make sure your children come to school every day so they can learn and succeed,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said. “Send them back, if they have dropped out. Los Angeles Unified is a district of second, third and fourth chances. Don’t quit on us. We won’t quit on you.”
"Today and every day, your attendance matters,” Board Member García said. “The Senior Class of 2020 all the way to the Kinder Class of 2032 need all of us to work together so that we can get to 100% graduation. I am proud of the Los Angeles Unified team that every year has learned to reach out more and more to our communities so that they know that we love them and care about their success.”
“As a retired educator and a Board Member who has participated in student recovery activities since 1978, I know the importance of consistent student attendance,” Board Member Scott M. Schmerelson said. “Reaching out to kids who are not coming to school, especially with the help of our dedicated pupil services staff and social workers, gives us a unique opportunity to find out about the obstacles and hardships that may be contributing to a student's truancy and the chance to provide the personalized support some kids need.”
“Getting our kids to school every day is the first step to providing them with a high-quality education,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said. “Efforts like today help us get our students in school and ready to learn with the support that they need.”
“Attendance matters every single day at Los Angeles Unified, and today we’re excited to make an additional push so every student knows we care about having them at school,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “These supports help our students come back to class and reach their full academic potential.”