Root Causes & Interventions for Absences

Chronic absenteeism is a signal to educators and parents that a student may be experiencing barriers to attending or engaging in school. These underlying barriers or root causes must be understood to effectively support the student and family to attend and engage.

The root cause of student absences can come from one or several of these contexts:

• School (e.g. school environment does not feel welcoming)
• Classroom (e.g. curriculum does not feel relevant)
• Community (e.g. unsafe walking routes)
• Family (e.g. unreliable transportation)
• Student (e.g. motivation, anxiety)

OSPI believes that educators have a great opportunity to get curious about why students aren’t attending, to provide effective and tailored interventions that address the root cause.

Attendance Works offers a worksheet to use with individual students on Understanding the Root Causes of Student Absences, that can help them to understand the reasons that a student may miss school.

Find resources and tools below that address common underlying causes of absences and that support student groups that tend to experience absences the most.

Students with Disabilities 

Accessibility barriers can contribute to absenteeism among students with disabilities in Washington. Below are a few key resources to support increased attendance:

• OSPI Special Education 
• Equity and Civil Rights (504 plans) 

McKinney Vento/Students Experiencing Homelessness 

Housing instability can significantly impact attendance in Washington. The following are a few key resources to support on this topic:

• OSPI Students Experiencing Homelessness 
• OSPI McKinney Vento and Attendance Presentation Slides 

Foster Care 

Transitions in Foster Care can be a contributing factor to absences in Washington. The following are a few key resources to support on this topic:

• OSPI Foster Care - legal guidance has a section on attendance: Foster Care Education Legal Guidance
• Treehouse 
  • 2024-2025 Treehouse All Program Eligibility (treehouseforkids.org)
  • Treehouse - Make a Referral for Treehouse Services (treehouseforkids.org)

Mental Health

Mental health concerns are commonly reported contributors to absences in Washington. The following are key resources to support on this topic:

• Fast Approach Skills Training (FAST): Seattle Children's Hospital developed the Fast Approach Skills Training (FAST) resources for brief, evidence-based behavioral approaches for youth and families with common mental health concerns. These tools are specifically created for use in schools and other non-long-term-treatment settings. 
  • Along with the FAST program handouts and workbooks
  • The resource provides: FAST-A for Anxiety, FAST-B for Behavior, FAST-D for Depression, FAST-P for Parenting Teens, FAST-T for Trauma, FAST-S for Safety.
• Family Handout on Anxiety: Attendance Works created a handout for educators to share with families that offer brief information on the signs of anxiety and what families can do to support their children. 
• OSPI GATE Webinar: Anxiety, School-avoidance, & Reengagement Strategies
• HB 1834 Mental Health Absences Youth Social Media Toolkit
• OSPI Mental, Social, and Behavioral Health Resources

School Avoidance

School avoidance is when a child refuses to attend school or has difficulty remaining in school the entire day.

• School Avoidance & Refusal Alliance: Evidence-based strategies for parents and educators.

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying

Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying are commonly reported contributors to absences in Washington. The following is a key resource to support this topic:

OSPI’s Harassment, Intimidation & Bullying (HIB) 

Immunizations

Schools are required to exclude students where a parent/guardian has failed to document proof of full immunization or exemption to the school (WAC 246-105-080) and WAC 246-105-060 (2)(b)). OSPI interprets this guidance to mean a school cannot enroll a new student without this immunization documentation, however, if the student is a continuing student, the district is not required to withdraw them but can maintain their enrollment while the student is excluded and mark the students’ absences as excused, while working with the family to get up to date with their immunization documentation. The following is a key resource to support this topic:

• OSPI Immunizations

Transportation

Lack of transportation is a commonly reported contributor to absences in Washington. The following are key resources to support on this topic:

• Walking School Bus: The Walking School Bus: Combining Safety, Fun and the Walk to School, Tacoma WA

• Safe Routes to School Guide: The Walking School Bus (National) 
• Free Transit Passes and School 
• Amtrak Cascades in Washington state: Passengers who are 18 years old and under can now ride free between any of 12 train stations in western Washington. 
• My Child’s Attendance Success Plan includes a Family’s Help Bank resource that helps them think through their support network and develop a plan for alternate transportation to school.

Lack of Connection to a Caring Adult

Below are classroom and Tier III resources to support students that do not have a connection to a caring adult. Research indicates that having even one caring adult increases consistent school attendance.

• 2x10: See ACSD article Assuming the Best. Engage with a student for 2 minutes daily over 10 days, discussing topics of their choice. Research indicates this approach leads to an 85% improvement in individual and overall classroom behavior.
• Greetings by the Door: Positive Greetings by the Door: Evaluation of a Low-Cost, High-Yield Proactive Classroom Management Strategy. Establish a positive connection with students by greeting them at the classroom door, setting a welcoming tone for the lesson and fostering strong relationships.
• LEAP Home Visits: Executive summary of the Evaluation of Home Visits for Re-Engaging Students Who Were Chronically Absent in the Era of COVID-19. The Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP) is a home visit program aimed at improving student attendance and engagement by building trusting relationships with families. The focus is on understanding families' strengths and helping to address barriers to school attendance.

Sleep Routines

• Setting a regular bedtime and morning routine can reduce anxiety. Sleep and Your School-Aged Child (for parents) - Seattle Children's Hospital (kidshealth.org)
• If students are having trouble getting out of bed in the morning: a solution is to provide an alarm clock, or set up a wake-up call.

Hygiene

• Lack of clean clothing: connect with community partners or companies for donations of a washer and dryer for the school.
• Access to a shower: students can use shower facilities before school. 

Statewide Resources

Here are some statewide resources available to schools for addressing attendance barriers and their root causes.

• Communities in Schools- Washington - Address student needs and provide evidence-based support, this initiative partners with over 200 Washington schools to connect students with supportive adults and community resources.
• Office of the Education Ombuds provides information, referrals, toolkits, and resources while assisting with questions or concerns regarding Washington’s K-12 public schools.
• Help Me Grow Washington - Support Washington families in connecting to helpful supports and resources that address food security, family supports, medical care, and child development.
• Washington State Department of Commerce- Partnering with your Department of Commerce to support increased attendance is recommended. Our students are the future workforce. Building strong attendance supports strong work habits.
• Washington Fatherhood Council - Connects fathers with lived expertise to create community, work for policy change, and promote their voices and experiences.