Bold statement: Chronic absenteeism is surging in Oklahoma, and one Tulsa district is taking direct, hands-on action to bring students back. But here’s where it gets controversial: is door-to-door outreach the most effective solution, or a symptom of deeper societal pressures? And this is the part most people miss—attendance gaps aren’t only about students skipping class; they reflect complex lives outside school walls. Here’s a clear, expanded rewrite that keeps the core facts and adds explanations to help beginners understand the issues.
Union Public Schools in Oklahoma has seen a rise in chronic absenteeism since the COVID-19 pandemic. State records define chronic absenteeism as missing 10 or more days of school, whether the absences are excused or unexcused. Since the pandemic, roughly 20% of students statewide have fallen into chronic absenteeism, and Union Public Schools has tracked a higher rate, with more than 26% of its students affected last year—about 7 percentage points above the state average.
In this segment of Educate Oklahoma, News On 6’s Tess Maune reports on a proactive, on-the-ground approach the district is using to tackle the problem. The program centers on student engagement and reaches beyond the school building through direct, personal outreach.
Role: Engaging students by building pathways
Within Union High School, Rebekah Boyer, the High School Assistant Principal for Student Engagement, oversees efforts to reconnect chronically absent students with school. Her aim is to create clear routes back to education, whether that leads to graduation from Union or a transfer to another institution.
“I do—I plan to further my education, to learn a new trade,” said Oswaldo Lopez Badilla, a recent graduate, illustrating the kind of goals Boyer hopes to support. She emphasizes intentional, in-person communication as a cornerstone of the strategy.
“What I want to accomplish is to create a pathway for these students,” Boyer explained. “The problem is real. Last year the district as a whole faced a chronic absenteeism rate around 25–30%, and it tends to rise as students move into secondary grades.”
Knocking on doors to find students
A big part of the plan is door-to-door outreach. Boyer, along with her secretary and translator, Norma Estrada, visits homes to check on students who have stopped attending classes or are at risk of falling behind on credits.
“When we have students who are credit deficient or not coming to school, the only way I know to fix it is to go find them,” Boyer said.
News On 6 joined several visits to see how the process works. At the first stop, no one answered, but the student’s father answered the phone. Boyer explained the concern about his daughter’s irregular attendance. The father didn’t know she had been skipping—an outcome Boyer notes happens often. He agreed to meet with her the following morning, and she began progressing again.
At a second stop, a sophomore who had previously met the team said she felt overwhelmed by the school’s size and preferred not to attend. Boyer discussed alternative options, and while progress was made, ongoing follow-up was deemed necessary. The ultimate goal remains the same: help the student earn a diploma, whether through Union or another institution.
The third stop yielded no response. Boyer acknowledged that door-knocking won’t fix the larger societal issues behind absenteeism, but she believes it helps recover students who might otherwise slip away and offers staff valuable insight into the hurdles students face.
More approaches to improve attendance
Door-to-door visits are just one tactic in Union Public Schools’ broader plan. In the 2024–2025 school year, the district launched a hallway campaign featuring posters that lampoon “lame excuses” for missing class (for example, “Taylor dropped a new album” or “Celebrating my cat’s birthday”) to raise awareness about the importance of attendance. The district also conducted surveys to understand why students miss class.
Survey results highlighted several common barriers, such as lack of interest in classes, feeling overwhelmed by life outside school, insufficient sleep, and competing responsibilities like jobs. Oswaldo Lopez Badilla, who had been working full-time, described the pressure of balancing work and school: “I needed to work, and I needed to help my family. You feel very lost.” His experience underscores why personalized support matters. After the district’s outreach, he completed his studies and graduated early, acknowledging that individualized planning and persistent effort were crucial.
A long-term goal: 100% graduation rate
District leaders say their ultimate aim is a 100% graduation rate. Boyer notes that progress will take time, but the door-to-door outreach is already shaping stronger connections and bridges between students and the school system. “We’re building connections and building bridges,” she said. “The work is important because it creates larger-scale change.” Each home visit is a step toward bringing another student back to the classroom.
Source: OSDE
What do you think about this approach? Do you believe direct outreach can meaningfully address chronic absenteeism, or should resources focus more on in-school supports and community-level factors? Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us whether you’d prioritize door-to-door engagement, expanded counseling, or flexible scheduling to help students stay connected to school.
