“Skipping class has been normalized at this point and it goes pretty much unnoticed, even in the most extreme cases,” said an anonymous B-CC Junior with 271 unexcused absences.

 

MCPS to Release New Attendance Policy

...A B-CC sophomore who wishes to remain anonymous responded by saying, “That doesn’t even include all the students who skip class and turn in fake notes.” Later admitting, “Every time I skip I turn one in because of how easy it is and it then marks me as excused.” 

 

The distribution of Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) school report cards revealed that 19.1% of B-CC students are “chronically absent.” Chronic absence is defined as a student who has been absent for more than 10% of the school year. The issue, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and related mental health issues, has risen rapidly across the county in recent years...

...One B-CC junior who has had 189 unexcused absences so far this school year says, ”Honestly there are no real consequences, even if I was just skipping at Starbucks my teachers still let me make up the work and I get away unscathed.” Many B-CC students share similar feelings, “Skipping class has been normalized at this point and it goes pretty much unnoticed, even in the most extreme cases,” said an anonymous B-CC Junior with 271 unexcused absences. 

This issue is consistent across the county with some schools such as Kennedy High School having as high as 49.4% of students being chronically absent. The MCPS Department of Education is dedicated to addressing this issue and hopes that this new plan will be successful in combating the issue of chronic absenteeism within our county...

 MCPS to Release New Attendance Policy – The Tattler (bcctattler.org)