When in-person school resumed after pandemic closures, Rousmery Negrón and her 11-year-old son both noticed a change: School seemed less welcoming. Before the pandemic, only 15% of students missed that much school. The absences come on top of time students missed during school closures and pandemic disruptions. Absent students miss out not only on instruction but also on all the other things schools provide — meals, counseling, socialization. In seven states, the rate of chronically absent kids doubled for the 2021-22 school year, from 2018-19, before the pandemic.

Source: Hindustan Times August 12, 2023 09:04 UTC