Several members of a new study group to examine Louisiana's high rates of student absenteeism pushed back this week against proposals to tie school district funding to attendance , warning that doing so could backfire without addressing the root causes of why students miss school.

Louisiana's absenteeism rate rose between 2022 and 2024 before dropping slightly last year . Members of the state's new Truancy Study Group suggested brainstorming ways for school systems and local agencies to better communicate with families and one other to figure out what's driving absenteeism. Those reasons can vary widely, they said.

Made up of nearly two dozen education professionals, including principals, superintendents, district attorneys and school counselors, the study group's creation came at th

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