Editor’s note: The 2023 AAP National Conference & Exhibition will take place from Oct. 20-24 in Washington, D.C. For coverage, visit http://bit.ly/AAPNationalConference2023 and follow @AAPNews on Facebook and at twitter.com/AAPNews.
With the rate of students who are chronically absent from school nearly doubling post-pandemic, pediatricians can play a key role in ensuring the health and success of students.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year for any reason. That translates to as few as two days a month.
“We know absence from school is one of the leading predictors of overall academic achievement,” said Heidi K. Schumacher, M.D., FAAP, a member of the AAP Council on School Health. “I think, too, rarely does the general public consider a pediatrician as a partner in this kind of effort, yet I think we’re perfectly positioned to support families and communities.”
Pediatricians looking for information on how to collaborate with families can attend a session at the 2023 National Conference & Exhibition titled “Pediatricians and School Attendance: Innovative Approaches to Prevent Chronic Absenteeism” (S3613). The session will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, Oct. 22 in room 152B of the convention center. It also will be livestreamed, and a recording will be available to registered attendees until Jan. 31, 2024.
A growing problem
Eight million, or one out of six, students were chronically absent prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Education. By the end of the 2021-’22 school year, data from several states showed chronic absence often doubled, affecting more than one in three students. Early data show rates remained high in the 2022-’23 school year.
During the session, Dr. Schumacher will explore the link between school attendance and child health, highlight evidence-based interventions to prevent chronic absenteeism and consider issues of equity.
She became interested in the connection between child health and school attendance while working in the public school system in Washington, D.C., where she oversaw health programs. While missing a couple of days of school per month doesn’t sound like much, it can have a huge impact on a child’s academic success and health.
“Even if a family has a note from a doctor, they still weren’t in class that day, so we care about all absences,” said Dr. Schumacher, assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine.
Many students rely on schools not only for academic instruction but also for services such as physical and occupational therapy and meals.
“Socialization skills are also learned at school, so when a child misses school, they miss more than just class. They miss all those other services that take place within a school building,” Dr. Schumacher said.
Among the reasons children may miss school are transportation issues and health conditions, which disproportionately affect children of color. Families also may have issues with child care or parent employment.
“All of that is in the wheelhouse of the pediatric practice to support,” Dr. Schumacher said.
As part of an effort to include pediatricians in the conversation, Dr. Schumacher was involved in a pilot program called Chronic Absenteeism Reduction Effort, which allowed parents or guardians to share attendance data with their child’s doctors.
“We trained pediatricians and their teams on how to respond to it,” Dr. Schumacher said. “There were families who said their child’s asthma was poorly controlled, and they missed a bunch of school. The pediatrician only found out about it through this initiative.”
Pediatricians have ‘power and influence’
Hedy Chang has been working for years to raise awareness of and address chronic absenteeism as founder and executive director of Attendance Works, a nonprofit initiative that collaborates with schools, states and communities to improve school attendance.
“What was an important issue is now a crisis,” said Chang, who was a consultant on the 2019 AAP policy statement The Link Between School Attendance and Good Health. “Staying home from school can actually affect long-term health outcomes. Being in a routine of school is really helpful for health and well-being.”
Chang will receive the Martin C. Ushkow Community Service Award from the Council on School Health during the conference.
“If we can use this award to be a bully pulpit for helping physicians realize the power and influence they have to bring to bear to this critical issue, which is so essential to our well-being as a country, that to me is what’s exciting about this award,” Chang said. “As trusted messengers to families, physicians are in this incredibly unique position to help get the word out to help both families address health conditions but also understand anxiety and ensure kids reestablish a regular routine of school, which is so important to their overall health and well-being and long-term health.”
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