With the new school year underway, attendance will be the focus of a new initiative in Palm Beach County.
The Palm Beach County School District says student absenteeism is affecting student performance.
Forty-one percent of students are reading at a grade level after third grade and the district attributes it to missing 18 or more days during Kindergarten or first grade.
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To improve performance, the district is now making a push to lower absenteeism by launching their "Go to Grow" campaign.
Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa says less absences will mean better reading and graduation rates.
“We have 180 days of school, we need to see kids every one of those days and every day lost is a lost opportunity,” Avossa said.
Part of "Go to Grow" will be reaching out to parents to see what’s wrong. The district also says addressing transportation and healthcare problems could take care of some of the absences.
