the staff of the Ridgewood Blog
Paramus NJ, the Paramus School District is taking a serious stand against chronic absenteeism, after reporting a 14.2% absentee rate for the 2023-2024 school year—well above the 10% threshold that defines chronic absenteeism. According to Assistant Superintendent Timothy Donohue, the district has implemented a comprehensive plan to reverse this trend.
What Does 14.2% Mean?
A 14.2% rate indicates that more than 1 in 7 students missed 18 or more school days throughout the academic year. These numbers reflect data released in November 2024, prompting immediate action by the district’s leadership team.
Donohue shared the updates during the April 21 Board of Education meeting, noting the issue isn’t unique to Paramus—chronic absenteeism has spiked nationwide since the pandemic.
Breaking Down the Absentee Data
A deeper analysis of the data revealed key subgroups most impacted by absenteeism:
-
📉 27.9% of chronically absent students are economically disadvantaged
-
🧩 24.6% belong to the students with disabilities subgroup
-
🌎 19.2% are Hispanic students
“The good thing that comes out of this is that we had to do a tremendous deep dive into the data,” Donohue noted. “It was very helpful and revealing.”
The District’s Strategic Action Plan
The district has rolled out several targeted strategies since November 2024, with more being added throughout the year. Highlights of the comprehensive attendance plan include:
-
Freshman Support Program: To address attendance as students transition into high school.
-
Grade-Level Transition Support: Early intervention to prevent future attendance issues.
-
Senior Incentives: Tying attendance to parking privileges, event access, and graduation participation to encourage attendance.
Parent Feedback and Ongoing Monitoring
A required district survey generated 117 responses, offering insights into parent perspectives on absenteeism. While a limited sample, Donohue said it was still a “good snapshot.”
The district is also focusing on long-term solutions, not just short-term fixes.
“This is not a Band-Aid,” Donohue said. “It’s a comprehensive overhaul of the entire process that impacts attendance district-wide.”
The administration will continue to monitor absentee rates, implement evolving strategies, and complete the plan by October 2025, just before the next annual report.
The Ultimate Goal
The district is aiming to bring the absentee rate below the 10% threshold by the end of the current school year.
“The most important part is getting as many tools in place before the end of this year,” Donohue said, “while recognizing this is an ongoing process and not just a stopgap.”
Tell your story #TheRidgewoodblog , #Indpendentnews, #information, #advertise, #guestpost, #affiliatemarketing,#NorthJersey, #NJ , #News, #localnews, #bergencounty, #sponsoredpost, #SponsoredContent, #contentplacement , #linkplacement, Email: Onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
I missed one day of high school over 4 years.
Because it was somewhat enjoyable back then and you learned.
Don’t blame the kids for not wanting to go. They sense what’s happening, but don’t have the full experience to share it- so they stop attending.
Remember, behavior is communication.
There are a significant number of gray area kids enrolled in schools with large numbers of illegal immigrant parents. The attendance rates for these kids is not good.
They have idiots for parents