Foster youth in California schools have a rate of chronic absenteeism far higher than the general student population, according to data available for the first time from the state’s Department of Education (DOE).
Statewide, the rate of chronic absenteeism — or when a student is absent from school for any reason for more than 10 percent of the days they were enrolled in a school — is just under 11 percent. When it comes to foster children in California schools, 25 percent are considered chronically absent.
“From our perspective, offering direct services to foster youth, we were unfortunately not surprised, but it’s still always sad and shocking to see in black and white what you experience with clients on a daily basis,” said Alaina Moonves, a senior staff attorney with the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Challenges around transportation and records transfer, inconsistent access to school uniforms and supplies, and trauma-related mental and emotional health issues are some of the reasons foster youth may be absent more often than their peers, she said
Despite the alarming statistics released by the state, Moonves and other advocates say the data is an important first step in understanding and combating the problem at a systemic level.
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