BENTONVILLE -- Teachers and other staff members working with grades seven through 12 would be limited to 13 absences per year for professional development and school business under a policy proposed by Bentonville School District officials.
The proposal also limits students to 13 absences per class period per year for reasons related to school business. The School Board will consider the policy change at its next meeting, scheduled for June 17.
District officials presented data at Monday's board meeting showing that as of March 25, 20 teachers at Bentonville High and Bentonville West High had missed at least 10 days during the 2018-19 school year for either professional development or school business. Eight of those teachers had missed at least 13 days.
Twelve teachers missed 10 days or more in roughly the same time frame the previous school year.
"This was part of our data showing our teachers we want to resolve this, and we want to get it lower, not higher," Jennifer Morrow, the district's director of secondary education, said about the absence numbers.
Administrators met with teachers in April to let them provide input on the decision of how many teacher absences should be allowed per year for professional development and school business.
The discussion followed publication of an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about the cost of teacher absences in the state. Arkansas school districts spent more than $102 million during the 2017-18 school year -- up from $99 million the previous school year -- on substitutes for absent teachers and other staff members who missed work largely because of personal and family illness, personal business or job-related training.
Bentonville's high school students, meanwhile, are missing an increasing number of classes for school business. Such absences are considered excused and are related to particular classes or extracurricular activities.
Morrow's data showed the average Bentonville High School student missed an average of 21 periods for school business during the 2017-18 school year -- up from less than one period only three years earlier.
One student, a 12th-grader, missed 143 class periods on school business during the 2017-18 school year. Four years earlier, no student missed more than 28, according to the data.
"So what's driving this massive, massive cultural shift that it's OK to miss class?" asked board member Joe Quinn.
Morrow said it's numerous things but added that administrators don't believe they've identified all the possibilities.
"There are a number of ways to look at that," Morrow said. "Some people look at that and say, 'This is awesome, we're giving kids lots of opportunities.' And some look at that and go, 'Oh, we need to be in class more.'"
She pointed out that her data do not include absences that result from sickness or college visits.
Students will be allowed to appeal for exemptions to the 13-period absence maximum. The limit of 13 is a good place to start, said Superintendent Debbie Jones.
"If we need to tweak the policy next year, we'll do that, but we needed guidelines," Jones said.
The district also plans to require faculty sponsors, directors and coaches of clubs and organizations to inform parents each year of any anticipated travel dates and associated expenses to families.
Metro on 06/06/2019