The Dallas Morning News examined about 50 attendance waivers related to safety threats at traditional public and charter schools
Attendance waivers analyzed by The Dallas Morning News show that many students stay home from school when there’s a perceived threat.A Dallas Independent School District police cruiser is seen in front of Wilmer-Hutchins High School, Saturday, Aug.
10, 2024, in Dallas.On a Monday this fall, only about half of Cleburne students showed up to class. The reason for such low attendance? Families were fearful after a threat of violence against Cleburne ISD campuses had zoomed across Snapchat in the days prior. Similar scares have become common, a trend that’sand interrupted students’ focus in the classroom.“Unfortunately, it’s just the way the world is right now,” Cleburne ISD Superintendent Coby Kirkpatrick said.To examine the impact such threats have on school attendance,requested all safety-related “low attendance waivers” submitted to the Texas Education Agency during roughly the first six months of school.examined about 50 attendance waivers related to safety threats at traditional public and charter schools. Administrators can submit waivers for this academic year through the end of July, so the number will likely grow through the summer.Though the sample is small – Texas is home to more than 1,000 school districts – the data underscores how disruptive the spread of online threats against schools can be. Among other North Texas districts that filed waivers were Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill and Lewisville.Public schools often seek such waivers if their daily attendance rate falls at least 10 percentage points below the previous year’s average. That was certainly the case on Sept. 16 when just 52% of Cleburne’s nearly 7,000 students came to school, according to district data. On a normal day, more than 92% of those kids show up to class.Loretta Krementz was among the parents who chose to keep her children home. “Any kind of risk, I’m not taking it,” she said. To her youngest daughter, an 11-year-old girl, Krementz explained: “Honey, tomorrow you’re not going to go to school because Mommy wants you safe.”Police ultimately found “no ongoing credible threats” to Cleburne schools.In Lewisville ISD, school administrators say that once a threat gains traction online, it can trigger copycat incidents. “What may start as an isolated threat in one state can quickly be replicated elsewhere, amplified by digital platforms and the ease of information sharing,” according to a statement shared by district spokeswoman Samantha FitzPatrickMany districts and police officials have taken a zero-tolerance approach against people who make such threats – whether or not it’s deemed credible. They emphasize they are vigilant of all potential violence, especially as gunfire continues to erupt in schools. Earlier this month in Dallas, for example, a teenagerMissing class impacts both school finance and student success.Texas funds public schools based on average daily attendance. So when many students stay home, it can trigger a financial hit. To protect themselves from budget woes, district officials can seek attendance waivers like the ones examined byWhen children are out of class, they also fall behind in learning. The state already saw a spike in missed schooldays in the years since the pandemic, with one in five Texas students considered chronically absent during the 2022-23 year. In Cleburne, Kirkpatrick said safety is the district’s No. 1 priority, and officials have detailed plans in place to protect their community. “If parents choose to keep their kids home, and they feel that’s the best choice for them, you know, we just drop back and punt the next day and come back and catch those kiddos up,” he said.School leaders often communicate with parents about the threats, including to emphasize when they appear unfounded.On the evening of Sept. 19, for example, the principal at Lewisville’s Huffines Middle School emailed families about rumors spreading online about campus safety.“I want to be very clear that through our investigation of the rumors, we found no evidence of a threat to the campus,” Principal Bradley Willi wrote.Willi assured parents that the district would put in place additional security measures “out of an abundance of caution.”Still, many families were frightened. Only about 70% of Huffines students came to class the next day, according to Lewisville ISD’s attendance waiver submission. The police department arrested four children in connection with the incident, charging each with“LPD will take a zero-tolerance stance when it comes to any activity that disrupts students’ ability to learn or places them in fear,” police officials wrote in a news release about the arrest. While school threats can affect attendance the day after an investigation or incident, Lewisville officials say they typically don’t have a long-term impact. LISD’s attendance rate is usually above 93%.Still, fears touched off by these online threats can alter a child’s relationship with school.In Cleburne, Loretta Krementz’s 15-year-old daughter grappled with anxiety after learning of the Snapchat threat. A few weeks later, Krementz decided to homeschool her. The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas. The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.Talia is a reporter for The Dallas Morning News Education Lab. A Dallas native, she attended Richardson High School and graduated from the University of Maryland. She previously covered schools and City Hall for The Baltimore Sun.
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