Recent data reveals that approximately 35% of public school students in New York City have been persistently absent since the pandemic. During a conversation with Mayor Eric Adams on WBLS 107.5 radio on October 13, incoming City Education Director Melissa Aviles-Ramos expressed her commitment to addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism among public school students.
Aviles-Ramos, who will assume her position this week, shared her personal background growing up in the Bronx, where she faced challenges affording basic necessities like clothing and food. She emphasized that this experience gives her a unique understanding of the barriers contributing to student disengagement. In addition to maintaining policies aimed at enhancing literacy and career readiness, she plans to investigate the reasons behind students’ absenteeism and assist families on an individual basis.
According to the Mayor’s Management Report, nearly 35% of public school students were classified as “chronically absent” in the 2023-24 academic year, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year. This figure remains similar to the previous year, where 36% of students were persistently absent. Vulnerable groups, including Black and Hispanic students, as well as those from low-income families and with disabilities, showed particularly high absentee rates. Aviles-Ramos stressed that while schools have implemented measures like phone calls and coordination with counselors and social workers to encourage attendance, “what we truly need to do is connect directly with families.”
The Legal Aid Society has recently filed a class-action lawsuit against the NYC public school system, accusing the city government of neglecting the high absentee rates among students with disabilities. The lawsuit claims that in the 2022-2023 school year, over 46% of disabled students were chronically absent, and due to systemic issues, the public schools have failed to provide these students with equal educational opportunities, thereby violating rights guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) among other laws.
Bobson Wong, a math teacher at Bayside High School, commented that the issue of absenteeism has worsened since the pandemic. He noted that many of the students he knows who are chronically absent simply do not want to go to school or are afraid of it. Wong pointed out that he has also seen students from more affluent families who are still disengaged. He believes that the conversation should shift away from attributing absenteeism solely to financial difficulties and focus more on whether the curriculum and teaching methods are engaging and appropriate for students.
