Ahead of the White House Every Day Counts Summit, which Council on School Health member Heidi Schumacher, MD, FAAP, will participate in, AAP President Ben Hoffman, MD, FAAP, issued the following statement:
“As this school year wraps up, it’s an important time to check in and assess how children are doing across the country as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and the learning disruptions that came with it. Unfortunately, there remains work to be done.
“In the 2021-22 school year, more than 14 million children in the United States missed more than 10% of school days. This represents more than one in four students, a near doubling of pre-pandemic levels. Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing too much school for any reason—starting as early as preschool and kindergarten can have long-term impacts on a child’s education and health.
“The good news is that we know what causes many school absences, and we can take steps to address them. Some common, preventable causes are acute infections like the flu or chronic conditions like uncontrolled asthma. Other factors are more complex. Families may be experiencing homelessness or be unable to find a safe, consistent way to get children to school. Children may be needed to help care for younger siblings at home or may experience abuse or neglect. Pediatricians are here to be a resource for families. We can help with immunizations that will keep children healthy and able to attend school, connect families with resources to support stable housing and nutrition, partner with schools to support students ’ health while they’re learning, advocate for adequate school mental and physical health services and talk through other challenges unique to individual families.
“The AAP is proud to participate in the White House Every Day Counts summit and commends U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona for calling national attention to address school attendance. Everyone has a role to play to keep kids healthy and in school.”
For more information about the AAP’s work on chronic absenteeism, see these resources and this guidance for parents.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.