CINCINNATI — Chronic absenteeism continues to impact schools across the United States, including in the Tri-State. The most recent Ohio state report card shows 43.5% of all Cincinnati Public Schools students miss 10% or more of the school year.
Former CPS counselor Terri Bolds Wilkinson-Hill said the root of the problem is often found in the challenges at home.
"There is a lack of something that's causing these students to miss school, and then if you come from a family where this is neglect, then there's nobody pushing for you to go to school," said Bolds Wilkinson-Hill.
Eve Bolton, Cincinnati Board of Education president, said the district's programming and career pathways — including clubs, athletic opportunities and field-specific courses — are meant to address the issue.
"We probably have the most extensive extracurricular programming for any urban district, especially any urban district where there's high poverty, great diversity, and multi-language," Bolton said.
Interim Superintendent Shauna Murphy said after the report cards were released the district is committed to enhancing educational opportunities for students through CPS's Performance, Redesign, Sustainability and Growth plan.
"A lot of those kids are in group homes," said Bolds Wilkinson-Hill. "There's so many kids that are not with their traditional families, and so they have all these barriers against them."
Cincinnati Youth Collaborative has partnered with schools to tackle those outside-of-the-classroom issues.
"We know that mentorship is a critical element to their success," CYC CEO/President Amy Thompson. "We are embedded in the schools across four districts and our team members show up day in and out to help with workforce readiness, and college access, and to provide that critical mentoring."
Still, Bolds Wilkinson-Hill says more needs to be done.
"Try to engage these families because you can only do so much with a child if you aren't addressing their family system," said Bolds Wilkinson-Hill.
