The team at Carson Elementary found an innovative way to encourage strong attendance for students.
"Every day is precious, especially with the 4-day week," said Carson Elementary Principal Craig Weston.
"When a child misses a day or they miss a large chunk of their morning activities, learning can suffer," he continued. "You can see it when they just don't have the flow, the practice, and the repetition. We want them here, and we want them learning. We feed them, we create spaces for them to make friends; there are so many great things that come with being in school. "The school recently introduced the "Tardy Tater" program. Classrooms who achieve 100% attendance each morning are given a new accessory, such as a nose or a mustache, for their potato. Once complete, students receive a class prize from their homeroom teacher.
The district also loses valuable funding when students and staff are absent. A single, missed day of school (even an excused absence) costs Decatur ISD about $70 per student, per day, in state funding. For big drops in attendance, such as for unofficial senior "skip days," the district can lose a collective $14,000 in state funding.
Read the full message from Superintendent Taylor Williams.