SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego Unified School District is rolling out new initiatives to address chronic absenteeism and student mental health as the new school year approaches.
Superintendent Dr. Fabi Bagula says the district is implementing a comprehensive plan to tackle attendance issues that worsened during the pandemic.
“We’re really focusing on attendance this year. We know that during the pandemic, chronic absenteeism went up, and we’re still seeing the effects of that,” Bagula said.
The district defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year, which amounts to about 18 days.
To address this challenge, San Diego Unified is launching a new attendance campaign that includes personalized outreach to families of chronically absent students.
“We’re going to be reaching out to families directly. We want to understand what barriers they’re facing and how we can help,” Bagula said.
Mental health support is another priority for the upcoming school year. The district has expanded its counseling staff and will offer more resources for students struggling with anxiety and depression.
“We’ve added more counselors at every school site. We know our students are still dealing with the emotional impact of the pandemic, and we want to make sure they have the support they need,” Bagula said.
The district is also introducing a new cell phone policy aimed at reducing distractions in the classroom. Students will be required to keep phones in designated pouches during instructional time.
Parents can expect to receive detailed information about these changes in back-to-school communications being sent out this week.
Classes for San Diego Unified School District began Monday, Aug. 11.
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