Lawrence County school district will no longer excuse students with a doctor’s note

The Lawrence County Schools District is implementing a new absenteeism policy to disregard doctors’ notes and refer students to juvenile court after eight absences. (Photo: Getty Images)

One rural Tennessee school district’s approach to addressing chronic absenteeism is drawing a growing backlash from local parents.

The Lawrence County Board of Education in June adopted a policy to reject doctors’ notes as a valid excuse for a child missing school.

The new policy, effective for the school year beginning Aug. 4, also requires school officials to refer families to juvenile court if a child has missed eight days of school. 

In Tennessee, truancy referrals to courts typically do not begin until a child has 18 unexcused school absences. 

Director of Schools Michael Adkins said the district of about 7,000 students needed to find a way to keep kids from missing out on valuable instruction time while instilling values that will one day serve them in the workforce.

“I think we have to take a stand and say this is important,” he said when introducing the policy in June. “It’s important to come to school each and every day. 

“And if you’ve got the sniffles, that’s fine. You’re going to have them when you go to work one day. We’ve all gone to work sick and hurt and beat up. I think as a group and society we’re losing that reliability and that opportunity begins in the school house.”

But parents in the district have expressed outrage over the new policy.

More than 2,700 local residents have signed a petition to overturn the policy and plan to protest at the next board meeting, scheduled for August 21. 

Many have also aired their anger and concerns on a newly formed Facebook page: “We’re Not Truant! Parents Against the Absentee Policy.” 

The district’s absentee policy contains escalating consequences for student absences. 

As an initial measure, the school will create a “welcoming environment” in which they connect with students and families, make daily announcements about good attendance and analyze school and student data for attendance patterns in order to identify absenteeism issues early. 

After a student is absent for three days, school officials may begin an intervention. The policy doesn’t specify what type of intervention.

After five days, the school would hold a conference with the student and their parents, create an “attendance contract,” hold regular follow-up meetings and conduct a written assessment of why the child has been absent.

After eight absences, the child will be referred to Lawrence County Juvenile Court, the policy says. Parents of children with chronic illnesses may submit a form that authorizes school officials to speak with a child’s doctor.

“It’s outlandish to me. One sickness could easily put you at three to five days,” said Amber Atkins, a co-creator of the Facebook group and mother to a rising sixth grader. 

“And then I am wasting my time in a courtroom, wasting resources in that court and with DCS and whoever else having these people involved in our lives who have no business being involved in our lives.”

Atkins’ son was absent five days in the previous school year to visit healthcare providers treating his ADHD, she said. He’s likely to miss school again this year for illness or doctor’s visits. 

A message left with the Lawrence County Schools this week seeking comment about the policy went unreturned.

Lawrence County’s chronically absentee rate of 15.4% falls below both the state’s average of 18.7% and the national rate of about 26%, according to data published by the Tennessee Department of Education and federal government.

Whether a student has an “excused” or “unexcused” absence will not change the county’s overall rates of chronic absenteeism, noted Jeremy Singer, assistant professor of education leadership and policy, University of Michigan-Flint and co-author of “Rethinking Chronic Absenteeism,” published this year. 

“Whether it’s excused or unexcused it’s still going to count as an absence and that’s still going to figure into the county’s chronic absenteeism rate,” he said.

“Changing this policy relates more to being able to use the levers of truancy law and truancy court referrals, because where ‘excused’ versus ‘unexcused’ matters is the use of those punitive channels,” he said.

Singer said punitive approaches to absenteeism may ultimately be counterproductive. 

“This kind of tone and approach to families could end up disrupting or harming the kinds of relationships that schools and districts rely on to try and understand what’s going on with families,” he said.