Kanawha County elementary school launches state’s pilot program to reward students for attendance

Mary C. Snow Elementary School in Charleston, W.Va, will test out a new program that offers prizes for students who miss no more than eight school days. (Amelia Ferrell Knisely | West Virginia Watch)

Chronic absenteeism remains a serious problem for West Virginia schools after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning for students.

Nearly 30% of West Virginia students were chronically absent — missing 18 or more days — during the 2022-23 school year, according to the most recent data from the state education department.

In an effort to get kids to school, a Kanawha County elementary school launched a pilot program on Friday to incentivize attendance through rewards.

The program, “Steal the Show, Eight or Below,” asks students at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School on Charleston’s West Side to miss no more than eight days this school year.

“We love you and we want you to do your best so you can achieve your goals. We know that sometimes you have to miss because maybe you might be sick, but we want you to come every day,” Principal Destiny Spencer told students at an outdoor pep rally to launch the program.

Students meeting the attendance goal can earn prizes like special lunches, limo rides, movies and more thanks to donations from community members, many of whom attended the kickoff event. Eight students with the best attendance records will receive $100 each at the end of the school year.

Spencer said that last school year, 67 of the school’s 375 students were chronically absent with both excused and unexcused absences.

“Sometimes they just are tired. They get in a routine that they just don’t want to come, and I don’t think they realize the importance of why we need to be here. It’s just school to them, but school to us [is] a bigger picture for them,” she said.

Consistent school attendance has been linked to higher academic achievement and a better chance of graduating from high school and entering the workforce .

The program could be expanded to include other schools. The West Virginia Department of Education chose Mary C. Snow to pilot the program, and Spencer explained that she and her staff were able to come up with their own details about how it would work.

“They kind of gave us a framework, and we took off with it,” she said.

Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin encouraged students to show up for school, promising a once a month “lunch with the mayor” as a reward for attendance.

“I am going [to] show you how much I appreciate and love you for showing up to school,” she told students.

Lawmakers also attempted to address chronic absenteeism, and a new state law in effect this school year allows each student no more than 10 unexcused absences. Should a student exceed that limit, the legislation permits the attendance director or assistant to make a complaint against the parent or guardian before a magistrate of the county.

The law also requires schools to establish meaningful contact with parents or guardians after just one unexcused absence.

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