Absenteeism up at high schools

GAINESVILLE - Absenteeism increased last year over the year before at Hall County high schools.

Superintendent Will Schofield told school board members Monday night high school and middle school administrators are considering an incentive program to boost attendance during the coming school year.

"We need to have something in place that rewards students for showing up and doing what they're supposed to," he said

Schofield added he wants students to learn that attendance is a life skill and they need to be in school every day if possible.

In December, the school board got rid of the "Rule of Eight", approving a revised absence and excuse policy.

Board member Nath Morris said at the time the new policy would foster regular high school attendance as the path to successful course completion.

"There's eight days they can miss, they may take seven and then get down and have a sickness, a real need to miss class," Morris said.

Morris added that under the old nine-year-old attendance policy, students had the idea they had eight free days. The new policy was effective in January and is based strictly on excused absences only under state law and state Board of Education rules.