Chronic absenteeism remains high in Long Island schools

Chronic absenteeism in Long Island schools remained stubbornly high in 2024–25, despite efforts to get students back into the classroom following a surge in absences during the pandemic. Lorena Mongelli and Arielle Martinez report in NEWSDAY that in Nassau and Suffolk combined, 17.3% of students in public schools were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more class days during the school year compared to 17.6% the year prior, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. While that is lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate in the 2021–22 academic year, when all New York schools reopened for full in-person learning, it still exceeds the 11.4% rate in 2018–19.The figures reflect a nationwide trend, with education experts saying schools throughout the country have struggled to boost attendance rates in recent years.Research has shown that persistent absences can be detrimental for students, leading to gaps in proficiency and increasing the risk they will drop out of high school. Studies have also found that such absences disrupt learning even for students who attend regularly because academic content needs to be reintroduced.Experts say a variety of factors are to blame for the high rate of absenteeism, including a shift in how parents value in-person learning since remote instruction became more commonplace during the pandemic. Local educators also cited student mental health issues, general disengagement with school, work priorities and, in some districts, anxiety about immigration enforcement amid the Trump administration’s crackdown.In 42 states and the District of Columbia, 23% of students were chronically absent in 2024–25 compared to 24% the year prior, according to Nat Malkus, senior fellow and the deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative-leaning research organization that tracks chronic absenteeism nationwide.New York’s chronic absenteeism rate was 27% in 2024–25 versus 27.3% the year prior. according to Newsday’s analysis.Twenty-nine of Long Island’s 124 districts had an absenteeism rate higher than 20% in 2024–25. The Hempstead district had the highest rate, at 49%, followed by Central Islip at 39.7%, according to state data.***The chronic absenteeism rate in Long Island public schools dropped slightly in the 2024-25 school year, from 17.6% the year prior to 17.3%, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. The figure was lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate seen during the pandemic but still higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 11.4% rate in 2018–19.Lorena Mongelli and Arielle Martinez report in NEWSDAY that a couple of east end school districts showed improvements in their absenteeism rate, which counts students in first grade and older who are enrolled for a minimum of 10 instructional days and attend at least one of those days.Bridgehampton dropped 9.6 percentage points, to 19.5%, in 2024–2025.The district’s interim superintendent, Brigid P. Collins, said, “The decrease in attendance issues is a combined reflection of our strengthened communication efforts and deeper family engagement.”She said the district sends attendance letters and implemented the ParentSquare notification system, which sends immediate alerts about student lateness and absences.The Amagansett school district, which had less than 100 students last school year, lowered its rate by 8.4 percentage points to 21.8%.Superintendent Michael S. Rodgers said the district “has made a strong, collective effort to build a more positive and engaging school culture for the students, staff, and families.”“This includes incorporating more hands-on projects, experiential learning opportunities, and field trips that connect classroom instruction to real world experiences,” Rodgers said. Cecelia Leong, vice president of programs at the national nonprofit Attendance Works, said some schools are having success by building relationships with students and families and ensuring students feel welcome, accepted and safe.“Those consistent things that build a sense of belonging and relationship are really important,” Leong said. ***A coalition of fire response entities and other partners will host an open house at Flanders Community Center, 655 Flanders Road, Flanders on Tuesday, May 5…that’s tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. to solicit public input for the Southampton Central Pine Barrens Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a plan that will help residents of western Southampton Town learn how to best protect their families and homes from wildfire hazards.Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that tomorrow’s meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to learn about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan {CWPP} and provide comments to help create the plan. Officials at the beginning of the meeting will offer a brief presentation about the CWPP program. Attendees can then learn more details about the CWPP from local experts at tables with topics including Resilient Landscapes, Safe and Effective Fire Response and Fire Adapted Communities. There will also be a table at which attendees can leave comments.Tomorrow’s open house is at Flanders Community Center starting at 6 p.m.***Southampton Village officials have unveiled a plan to build a downtown sewage treatment facility, a proposal they say is critical to improving water quality and allowing new apartments.Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the sewer plant would be in the village's business district, behind its police headquarters on Windmill Lane. But a group of residents have objected to the plan because it requires the village to turn a dog park there into leach fields, where treated wastewater is released into the ground. The village plans to build a new dog park down the street. Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger said the plan is a breakthrough in the long-running effort to build a sewer system following a lengthy search for a suitable site.“We realized that after years and years of the village existing here with basically only cesspools and septic systems, we’re just really polluting our groundwater and our bays and lakes and shoreline,” Manger told NEWSDAY.Toxic blue-green algal blooms are prevalent in water bodies in and around Southampton Village, according to a recent Stony Brook University water quality report. That includes Lake Agawam, the 65-acre lake in the village's center.Sewers and advanced septic systems can prevent those blooms by reducing the nitrogen from wastewater that goes into the ground, environmental advocates and village officials contend. Manger said the hope is for the plant to open by 2030.However, building the sewage treatment plant as currently proposed would require moving Lola Prentice Dog Park down the street.Five residents who live near the park have sued to block the plan to convert it into leach fields.The Southampton School District gifted the park property to the village in 1962. In 2019, a judge ruled in a separate court case that the property could only be used for recreational and educational purposes. The plaintiffs are asking the court to prevent the village from using it now to build a sewer plant.A separate petition by the same plaintiffs asks the court to find the Village of Southampton and its trustees in contempt for violating the 2019 ruling and the court's injunction.***Relief is on the way for more than a dozen Long Island oyster farms after an icy, brutal winter damaged equipment and wiped out many growers' inventories. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that fourteen oyster farms will receive $3 million in state funding to upgrade infrastructure and boost production, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Saturday. The infrastructure grants can help fund new docks, equipment and other tools to support aquaculture farms, state officials said.The funding is part of a second round of awards through the Long Island Aquaculture Program. Farmers said the timing couldn't be better after a deep freeze caused an estimated $2.4 million in losses across the region. New York State officials awarded an initial $1.2 million to 17 businesses to expand and upgrade equipment last October.On Friday morning, Matt Ketcham of Peconic Gold Oysters was still hauling up decimated cages from his plot in Cutchogue Harbor. "I had a section of my farm that we call 'iceberg alley' now," Ketcham said in an interview. "I'm still pulling up crushed stuff, broken stuff, stuff that was dragged through the mud. I need a lot of new cages."Ketcham said he plans to use part of his grant to invest in an ice machine and, over time, save money on a crucial element of his business.Aquaculture, he said, "is a type of farming that requires a ton of capital investment and a ton of reinvestment even just to grow your sales a little bit."He added, "Something like this helps us a lot."Other awardees include West Robins Oyster Co., Hampton Oyster Co., Davy Jones Landing, Oysterponds Shellfish, Lucky 13 Oysters, East Hampton Oyster Co., Scrimshaw Enterprises, Hart Lobster Co., Thatch Island, North Fork Big Oyster, Jeffrey M. Kraus, Dune Fishery and Little Ram Oyster Co., according to a news release from the governor's office.The awards range from $111,702 to $250,000, according to the governor's office."Long Island's historic seafood industry is second to none, helping to strengthen local food supply chains, bolster our state's economy, and upholding a legacy of excellence and dedication to industry," Hochul said in a statement. She noted that the program is intended to support aquaculture farmers so "they can continue to thrive for...