By Heather Michon
Correspondent
Fluvanna County school officials delivered a blunt message to the School Board on Wednesday night (Nov. 12): chronic absenteeism has become one of the division’s most urgent concerns, fueled by issues that stretch far beyond the classroom and for which there is no easy or immediate fix.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing two or more instructional days per month, or 10 percent of the average 180-day academic year, whether excused or unexcused.
Kaitlyn Harlow-Burner, coordinator of mental health services for the division, said that while Fluvanna’s numbers had nudged down from 37 percent in the 2022-2023 school year to 25 percent in 2024-2025, the division still posts some of the highest absentee rates in the region, especially among high school students.
By comparison, Charlottesville and Greene County both sit at 20 percent. Nelson County is at 12 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, Louisa County had just a seven percent absentee rate.
‘How can we help?’
Harlow-Burner and Student Outreach Coordinator Jessica Lavin underscored that absenteeism is often a symptom of larger struggles. Most kids aren’t skipping school because they don’t care. Instead, they are often navigating barriers that even adults might struggle to overcome.
The absenteeism rate is highest among the most economically disadvantaged students, reaching as high as 66 percent by grade 12
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Amanda Galloway, who works on the county’s juvenile court cases, said that too often, people assume absenteeism stems from families who do not value education. While that is sometimes the case, the majority of cases she sees are far more complex.
“We have minor issues with things like bullying,” she said. “But then we have much more severe issues.”
Many of her cases involve students living without running water, teenagers staying home to care for younger siblings while parents work, or kids navigating homes marked by severe mental illness or addiction. Some students suffer from their own untreated mental or physical health problems.
Others are victims of crime, “and unfortunately, a lot of it is sexual violence,” she added. A growing number struggle with substance abuse themselves.
Because there is no single cause, there is no easy fix.
Harlow-Burner described the escalating series of steps the schools have to address absenteeism, starting with automated calls, then personal outreach, and repeated home visits.
At its core, she said, are simple, human questions: “What can we do? How can we help you? Why are you missing these days?”
Sometimes the answer is a lack of running water. Sometimes it’s family chaos. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a kid buckling under pressure. “Whatever it is,” she said, “we try to problem-solve that.”
And sometimes, the intervention is even more direct.
Lavin, Harlow-Burner said, “brings students to school every single day. I am not kidding. Every single day. If we did not have her, those kids would not come to school because they don’t want to come to school.”
If the absences continue, students are placed on attendance improvement plans, followed by diversion programs aimed at avoiding formal charges.
Only after those steps fail do cases move to court petitions — the last tool in a system designed to intervene, not punish.
Time and money
Palmyra representative Dr. James Kelley noted that funding for two half-year attendance positions had been included in the recent budget carryover package and could become part of the 2027 budget cycle.
Would those positions help move the needle?
Harlow-Burner didn’t hesitate: her team, she said, already runs suicide-prevention programs, substance-use interventions, student outreach, the clothing closet, and the full slate of mental-health initiatives.
“Attendance takes up a lot of time,” she told the board.
Dedicated staff, she said, could focus solely on home visits, morning knock-and-go outreach, and supporting students with chronic excused absences or those avoiding the bus because of peer conflicts, while giving her team more time to work on other interventions.
Galloway noted that asking for new positions is never easy in Fluvanna, but she urged them to think about the long-term math.
Some chronic absentee cases end up with children entering the Children’s Services Act (CSA) system.
“A residential placement now runs about $42,000 per child,” she said. “If we can keep even one or two kids out of the CSA system, it essentially pays for these positions.”
