By Jessica "Hutch" Hutchison LCO School Director
The Bureau of Indian Education and Department of Education define chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year for ANY REASON including excused, unexcused, pre-arranged, suspensions, mental health, or illness. When a student misses all or PART of any day of school for any reason it is recorded and impacts their individual chronic absenteeism rate.
The BIE uses a schools chronic absenteeism as one of the indicators in measuring a schools accountability determination, along with test scores and graduation rate. The chronic absenteeism rate at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School impacts how we are rated as a school nationally. During the 2022-2023 School Year, Lac Courte Oreilles (including Waadookodaading) received ZERO accountability points out of a possible 15 due to a chronic absenteeism rate of 15.1%. In the 2023-2024 School Year report, which is not yet released, the LCO school’s chronic absenteeism rate was even higher, at 16.4%. At this point in the 2024-2025 School Year the rates are as follows for each of the schools: High school: 21.78%; Middle school: 13.32%; Elementary school:11.19%; Total: 14.88%.
In addition to missing out on academic instruction designed to ready students for college and careers, students that are chronically absent miss out on the following wrap around services provided at or by the school:
● Opportunities to learn and grow Ojibwemowin skills
● Cultural opportunities (outdoor education, powwows, etc)
● Special education services including speech, occupational therapy and adaptive physical education
● School day reading and math intervention
● Prevention education initiatives (AODA, cyberbullying, teen pregnancy and parenting, healthy lifestyles)
● After school programming
● Mental health counseling through Bizhiki provided on site
● 2-3 hot meals a day
● Weekend backpack meal programs
● Routine health screenings (dental, vision, hearing) & access to sports physicals
● Access to weekly county public health services
● Regular athletic program access
● Access to free Driver’s Education training
Communication between parents/families and the school has dramatically improved in the years since Covid which has reduced the number of unexcused absences has decreased. However, missing school regularly, even for a portion of the school day, has been found to be detrimental to overall academic success as well as social emotional growth.
