Like many schools across the state and nation, the Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) is facing the issue of truancy and chronic absenteeism.

VWSD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Cedric Magee said it’s important to note the difference between the two when considering solutions to the problem.

“Truancy counts only unexcused absences, whereas chronic absence counts all absences, excused or unexcused,” he said. “Truancy emphasizes compliance. Chronic absenteeism is missing 10% of the school year.”

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, Rule 30, a “truant” is defined as “a compulsory-school-age-child . . . who has accumulated five or more unlawful absences in a school year, excluding suspension and expulsion days.”

Truancy isn’t just missing school, Magee said. It is an intentional or unjustified missing of compulsory school attendance. Chronic absenteeism is also a concern, but often has a valid reason behind it, such as a student’s ongoing chronic illness. Both have an impact on student learning.

Magee said there are a number of reasons for truancy beyond just “skipping school,” which can include fear of bullies or not being able to keep up in class. Magee said the school has ways to help kids deal with bullying and programs to help kids who are falling behind.

“Kids are in school 180 days,” he said. “(Chronic absenteeism) would be missing 18 days.”

Magee added that the problem will never be resolved by VWSD alone, but rather will require help from students’ homes.

“What I would like our families to help us out with are the early check-outs and tardies,” Magee said. “Let’s say I check my son out 15 minutes early every day. It may not seem like a lot. Times that by 180 days, now I’ve missed 2,700 minutes. Divided by 60, that’s 45 hours. Divided by seven-and-a-half, that’s how many hours of school they have. Now I’ve missed a total of six days of school, being taken out 15 minutes early every day. It adds up.”

In short, completing the entire school day regularly makes a difference, he said.

“It’s very important that they’re in school on time, and that we leave them there,” Magee said.

Recently, VWSD got its own truancy officer. But, for a long time, the district shared one with Yazoo City Municipal School District, and the officer was stationed in Yazoo City, according to VWSD Superintendent Dr. Tori Holloway.

There are different steps that are taken according to the number of truancy days, but those guidelines are hard to enforce without a full-time officer, Holloway said.

According to Magee, the truancy officer will call or meet with the student’s parents or guardians to try to determine the cause of the student’s absences.

“We have a drop-out prevention plan that we have to turn in to the state on August 1 of every year,” Magee said. “Our average daily attendance is tracked.”

The MDE website tracks each school’s attendance. According to the website, for the school year 2023-24, VWSD had a chronic absenteeism rate of 30.69% and the statewide absenteeism rate was 24.1%. High schools show the highest rates of absenteeism.  Kindergarten also shows high rates of absenteeism, but is not mandatory in the state of Mississippi and does not involve a truancy officer.

Magee said principals are also involved with absenteeism.

“I think our principals and schools do a great job. They do call outs, they call parents, they send notices out, they try to incentivize, to get kids to want to come to school, but we just need more help,” he said.

Magee said Friday is the most commonly missed day.

Magee also said he expects having a truancy officer solely dedicated to Vicksburg will improve things.

“When we have someone dedicated to us, making that connection (in the community) can help.”

He also pointed out guardians and parents can face financial fines when truancy reaches a certain level and can be required to make an appearance in court.

Magee said, in the end, showing up is simply a large part of the equation for success.

“If we can just get them to school, we can educate them,” he said. “There are resources there. There is help at school.”