Umatilla County is tackling post-pandemic truancy
By Terry Murry on Monday, September 9th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Truancy no longer means cutting a class here and there. An estimated 35,000 of Oregon’s children have not returned to school since March 2020. School districts throughout the state are sounding the alarm regarding a different kind of truancy. One of them is Umatilla County Commissioner Cindy Timmons.
She received calls from Milton-Freewater School Superintendent Aaron Duff and Umatilla School Superintendent Heidi Sipe alerting her to the problem. Since those conversations, she has heard from every other school district in the county expressing concern about children who aren’t being educated. She said that figure is for students who are not enrolled in online or home-school options.
“The children have not been back in school since March of 2020,” she said in an earlier interview. “We’re talking little guys here and just not going to send them to school. They’re not home-schooling. They’re just not educating their kids.”
Timmons said she has learned that some parents are trying to work around legal requirements.
“I learned that it was becoming popular for children to come to school for one day out of 10 to simply keep them enrolled,” she said. “Some children were in the classroom three days a month. School was simply not a priority.”
She said that due to changes in Oregon’s truancy laws, schools lost the leverage they need to promote school attendance. The losers are the children.
“It is a common fact that little learners (K-3) love school and their teacher and want to be there with their friends,” she stated.
Timmons originally was working to develop a truancy ordinance, but found in her talks with educators that there was a better way to go. She said Duff, Sipe, InterMountain Education Service District Superintendent Mark Mulvihill, Umatilla County Counsel Doug Olson, Umatilla CARE Director Jenni Galloway, Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Echo), and Sixth Circuit Court District Judge Dan Hill have been instrumental in crafting a truancy policy. The plan, which will be backed by the courts, is still being finalized.
CARE workers will serve as the bridge between families and the school districts, making sure children are not only in the classroom, but thriving.
“Quoting the words of Mark Mulvihill, ‘We do not need to reinvent the wheel,’ she said. “’CARE is already doing this work.’”
Timmons said every school district in Umatilla County has supports the policy. In addition, statewide interest has been expressed.
That’s fitting, because on Friday, Gov. Tina Kotek proclaimed September 2024 to be Attendance Awareness Month.
“We know that consistent attendance is a key to student success,” Oregon Department of Education Director Charlene Williams said during Kotek’s announcement. “This initiative is a call to action for all of us – educators, parents, and community members – to prioritize attendance and to ensure that each and every student has the opportunity to thrive.” More details about Umatilla County’s plan will be released once the initiative is finalized.
