MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – Since the pandemic, students not showing up for school has been a problem in Wisconsin public schools. However, over 1,000 Milwaukee public school students have missed all of this year’s classes.
According to WPR, MPS social workers have called and visited homes, but Nicole Cain, MPS manager of school social work and community services, stated that many families have been unresponsive.
“We have been working with the DA’s office just to determine how to address these kids,” Cain said. “The majority are high school-aged, and so our concern is the drop-out rate of this population.”
One student, Erik J. Mendoza, 15, is listed as one of the absent Milwaukee kids. According to the district’s records, Mendoza has not attended school since the fall of 2019 and was recently accused of first-degree intentional homicide on October 25, when a 5-year-old boy was discovered deceased in a dumpster.
“We have serious concerns about the number of students sitting at home right now that haven’t returned to school since the pandemic to obtain their formal education,” Cain continued. “School is where we can detect mental health concerns and try to get help for students. Moreover, without a high school diploma or GED, what will the trajectory be for so many of these young people who are not returning to school?”
WPR further reports that the Milwaukee school board did alter its truancy policy back in March. Previously, the district had to submit students aged 6 to 14 who missed 35 or more days of school to the district attorney’s office. The board has adjusted the age range to 6 and 10, which some critics say is a move to further hide the problem from the general public.
The Department of Public Instruction’s school report card data for the 2021–2022 school year shows that nearly half of Milwaukee Public School’s 67,495 kids were chronically absent.
Being truant regularly is a violation of state law. A first offense can result in a fine of up to $500 or jail time for no more than 30 days. A second offense could result in a $1,000 fine or up to 90 days in jail.
