There are many different ways for educators and school administrators to prevent truancy. The most crucial step is to meet with parents to figure out why a kid is repeatedly absent from class. The child or the parent might have health issues that the school doesn’t know about, or they might discover that a teen is going behind their parent’s back and skipping class without their permission. Whatever the case, it’s a good policy for schools to call about any unexcused absences.
On the other hand, there is a wrong way for a teacher to prevent absence in their class. Calling out a student by name and shaming them for missing school can make them feel humiliated about something completely out of their control. One parent found a seemingly passive-aggressive worksheet in her 3rd grader’s folder after he had his first absence of the year, and it rang alarm bells for parents and educators alike.
