PRO 2015-14TOWN OF TROPHY CLUB, TEXAS
PROCLAMATION NO. 2015-14
A PROCLAMATION OF THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF
TROPHY CLUB, TEXAS, ESTABLISHING THE MONTH OF
SEPTEMBER 2015 AS ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH IN
TROPHY CLUB.
WHEREAS, good attendance is essential to student achievement and
graduation, and we are committed to dedicating our resources and attention to reducing
chronic absenteeism rates, with a focus starting as early as prekindergarten and
kindergarten; and
WHEREAS, chronic absence — missing 10 percent or more of school for any
reason including excused and unexcused absences, or just two of three days a month —
is a proven predictor of academic trouble and dropout rates; and
WHEREAS, improving attendance and reducing chronic absence takes
commitment, collaboration and tailored approaches to particular challenges and
strengths in each community; and
WHEREAS, chronic absence predicts lower third-grade reading proficiency,
course failure and eventual dropout, it weakens our communities and our local
economy; and
WHEREAS, the impact of chronic absence hits low-income students and children
of color particularly hard if they don't have the resources to make up for lost time in the
classroom and are more likely to face systemic barriers to getting to school — such as
unreliable transportation, lack of access to health care, unstable or unaffordable
housing; and
WHEREAS, attendance gaps among groups of students often turn into
achievement gaps that undermine student success. Chronic absence particularly
exacerbates the achievement gap that separates low-income students from their peers,
since students from low-income families are both more likely to be chronically absent
and more likely to be affected academically by missing school; and
WHEREAS, absenteeism also undermines efforts to improve struggling schools,
since it's hard to measure improvement in classroom instruction if students are not in
class to benefit from them; and
WHEREAS, schools and community partners can reach out more frequently to
absent students to determine what barriers they face to attending school and what
would help them attend more regularly; and
WHEREAS, health care providers can share the importance of school
attendance with families and can offer proactive, preventive care to reduce absences;
and
WHEREAS, schools and districts must do more to track, calculate and share the
data on how many students are chronically absent so that we can see the attendance
gaps and can deliver the right interventions to the right students; and
WHEREAS, all students — even those who show up regularly — are affected by
chronic absence because teachers must spend time reviewing for students who missed
lessons; and
WHEREAS, chronic absence can be significantly reduced when schools, families
and communities work together to monitor and promote good attendance and address
hurdles that keep children from getting to school.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, MAYOR C. NICK SANDERS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH
THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF TROPHY CLUB, TEXAS, DO HEREBY
PROCLAIM:
Our Town will stand with the nation in recognizing September as "Attendance
Awareness Month." We hereby commit to focusing on reducing chronic
absenteeism to give all children an equitable opportunity to learn, grow and
thrive academically, emotional and socially.
Specifically we will:
1. Raise public awareness and concern about the impact of chronic absence.
2. Encourage broad community engagement and sustained civic action to help
families get their children to school every day.
3. Urge school districts to analyze data to identify which students and schools
are most affected by chronic absence, as well as to unpack common
attendance challenges that need to be addressed.
4. Encourage schools to publish chronic absenteeism data, along with average
daily attendance rates.
PASSED AND APPROVED by the Town Council of the Town of Trophy Club,
Texas, this 8th day of September, 2015.
C. Nick Sanders, Mayor
Town of Trophy Club, Texas
Holly Fimbres, Town Secretary
Town of Trophy Club, Texas
PRO 2015-14 Page 2 of 2