JAY — Chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge in Regional School Unit 73, with attendance issues frequently linked to inconsistent home routines rather than student disengagement, administrators said April 7.

Special Services Director Cherie Parker told the board of directors that student needs are becoming more complex.

“We continue to see an increase in the number of students requiring specialized support,” Parker said. “Our team is working hard to meet the needs of all learners, but the level of need continues to grow.”

Darcy Shink, principal at Spruce Mountain Primary School in Livermore, told the board “our attendance data continues to show chronic absenteeism as a significant concern.”

She reported that 19% of students are considered chronically absent, while another 15% attend between 80% and 90% of school days.

“This is not mainly an issue of students refusing to come to school,” Shink said. “When students are here, they’re engaged, willing to participate. The bigger challenge is getting students to school consistently in the first place.”

Shink said that in many cases, the absences are not due to appointments or transportation issues, but rather the parents giving reasons such as “I can’t get my child out of bed.”

“Instead, we are seeing patterns tied to inconsistent home routines, difficulty getting students up and out the door, school not always being treated as a daily priority,” Shink said. “Students are not getting up in time, not getting on the bus, not getting to school consistently.”

Shink said even available transportation is often underutilized.

“We regularly encourage families to use the bus as a reliable way to get students to school,” she said. “However, for many of our families who are chronic, this is not happening often because buses arrive early and students are not up and ready in time.”

She also pointed to broader family challenges contributing to attendance issues.

“We’re also seeing an increase in family mental health challenges which can impact a caregiver’s ability to maintain routines and follow through with getting students to school each day,” Shink said.

Shink said the district has already tried multiple strategies without consistent success, including specific attendance plans where students can earn stickers and family incentives.

“We’ve tried incentives, we’ve tried outreach, we’ve tried communication with families,” Shink said. “We’re not seeing the impact that we would hope.”

Shink said the work has to focus on family communication and accountability, not just student motivation. At the same time, she noted clear limits on what schools can control.

“We can put supports in place, but we can’t control what happens at home,” she said. “We can reach out, offer support, communicate expectations, but we cannot directly manage what happens at home each morning.”

Shink emphasized that most families are supporting attendance efforts.

“We just need that small amount to jump on board and help us out,” she said.

Shink also reported an increase in behavioral incidents.

“In March, we had 213 behavior referrals. In this month alone, and it’s only April 9, we have 49,” Shink said. “In 129 instances this year, a child needed to be removed from a class.”

The district has also recorded 13 in-school suspensions, seven out-of-school suspensions, and seven calls to crisis services or law enforcement.

“One ongoing challenge we are facing is a lack of consistent parent support in some cases,” Shink said. “There’s often limited follow-through with the strategies and recommendations we share, some even refusing it.”

She added that student needs are increasingly tied to social-emotional development.

“Behaviors such as work refusal, difficulty accepting no, and resistance to simple requests like cleanup time are often common triggers,” she said. “It truly takes a collaborative effort between school and home to create meaningful change.”

Shink said those types of challenges impact instruction and the learning environment.

“Teachers are feeling deflated and defeated,” she said.

Asked how the board could help address student behavior concerns, Shink said meaningful progress depends on consistent support beyond the school setting.

“Without consistent parent partnership, it becomes much more challenging to effectively support and improve student behavior,” she said.

The district’s truancy process was also discussed as a multi-step system that requires documentation and intervention before escalation, limiting how quickly schools can respond to chronic absenteeism.

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Elections for the RSU 73 board of directors will take place April 28. Joyce A. Badeau and Avery F. Ryder are seeking the single one-year term. Matthew J. Brennick and Edward P. Walsh are running for the single two-year term.

Four candidates are running for two seats for three-year terms: Danielle J.W. Brotherton, Jodi L. Cordes, Tamara N. Hoke and Shari A. Ouellette.

From Livermore Falls, Boyd Roy and Tammy Ferrari are vying for a one-year term; Pheobe Pike and Kathy Bryant are running for a two-year term; and Heather Bronish and Don Emery and running for a three-year term.