Alexandria City Public Schools is using an app to notify parents in the Virginia school system when their students aren鈥檛 in class.
The app, , sends families three notifications a day if their student is absent. Seventy percent of families have a registered ParentSquare account, school system spokeswoman Julia Burgos said in a statement, but all families get the notifications regardless of whether they use the app.
Use of the app is a part of the school district鈥檚 plan to combat a rise in chronic absenteeism 鈥� the number of students who miss 10% or more of required school days. In Alexandria, over 2,500 students (16%) were chronically absent last year, according to the latest state data.
鈥淚t makes communication very easy between the school staff and the family,鈥� said Hope Murphy, Alexandria鈥檚 attendance and truancy outreach specialist. 鈥淲hen school staff send a text, it is received in the family鈥檚 language. And when they respond, they can respond in their language.鈥�
In addition to helping address language barriers, the app provides early notification of an absence, which Murphy said is essential so that parents can take action before it鈥檚 too late. Before, when a student was absent, the county would send one notification via an automated call in the evening.
The app is linked to the student database system, which teachers use to take attendance, Murphy said.
鈥淲hen students attend school regularly and on time, they build strong relationships with their peers and their teachers,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淭hey enjoy being a part of the school and the classroom community, and they receive daily instruction that can’t be made up afterward if they miss a day.鈥�
As part of what Murphy described as an 鈥渁ll-hands-on-deck鈥� approach to addressing absenteeism, the city has also convened an attendance task force, which meets routinely 鈥渢o monitor our attendance data and to promote best practices for attendance in the schools.鈥�
鈥淪chool divisions across the country, since the pandemic, have seen rises in chronic absenteeism,鈥� Murphy said. 鈥淪o Alexandria is not alone.鈥�
More information about the school system鈥檚 efforts .
