As chronic absenteeism rises, North Carolina revises policy so students can no longer fail classes based on attendance

Starting this school year, North Carolina students cannot fail a class based solely on attendance.

Before this policy change, students could have received a failing grade of “FF” even if they had been passing a course but weren’t showing up to classes, according to WRAL News.

“If a kid is making a B but doesn’t come to school, that’s more of a classroom issue than it is an attendance issue,” said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, senior director of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), at a recent board meeting.

Drew Washington, youth organizer with the Education Justice Alliance nonprofit, celebrated the state’s policy revision. “I don’t think that’s fair to the student, for them to be pushed out of school because of things they may not be able to control,” he said. “I think it’s better to meet families where they are.”