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EBR School Superintendent doesn’t think 15 unexcused absences for a student is a problem
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:08 pm
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:08 pm
quote:
BR school leader wants to redefine truancy as numbers put district in bad light
With school entering its second full week, East Baton Rouge Parish School Superintendent Lamont Cole has a priority this year, which includes redefining truancy and how those figures are calculated.
The Louisiana Department of Education defines truancy as five or more unexcused absences or tardies per semester.
East Baton Rouge is one of the largest school districts in the state. According to the most recent data from the 2023-2024 school year, EBR Schools logged a total of 24,875 students as truant. Capitol High and Istrouma High both had around 85 percent of their student bodies listed as truant during that time frame.
quote:
However, Cole said the way the state defines truancy does not accurately reflect who is attending school.
quote:
“If I’m in school 180 days and I’ve been there 165, that’s a good percentage of being in school,” Cole said. “While you may have needed to be in school the other 15 days, things happen in kids’ lives. Someone gets the flu. Someone gets Covid. A family member passes away, or you go out of town to watch someone play, and get trapped. When you come back, you don’t offer an excuse as to why you were gone.”
quote:
When students don’t come back with an excuse, their absences and tardies are counted against them. Five or more of those leads to a student being considered truant. East Baton Rouge has one of the highest truancy rates in our area, which stands at 55 percent district-wide, according to data reviewed by the WAFB I-TEAM.
quote:
Despite the challenges, some school districts appear to be doing things well. Ascension Parish had the lowest truancy rates coming in around 20% followed by West Baton Rouge (26 percent), West Feliciana (26 percent), Zachary (36 percent), Livingston (37 percent), Central (41 percent).
By comparison, the only other school districts with higher truancy rates than Baton Rouge were Baker and Pointe Coupee which both logged 65-percent truancy rates. Both of those districts are much smaller than East Baton Rouge and only a few schools make up their total numbers.
LINK
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:10 pm to SPEEDY
The superintendent is part of the problem. Low expectations.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:12 pm to SPEEDY
Parents are the real problem
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:13 pm to SPEEDY
15 is a bunch. If they are teaching at all it would be hard to stay up
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:13 pm to SPEEDY
quote:If this is really the reason for the truancy (it's probably not), the solution is not to redefine it, but to get parents to care enough to get/send a freaking note.
Someone gets the flu. Someone gets Covid. A family member passes away, or you go out of town to watch someone play, and get trapped. When you come back, you don’t offer an excuse as to why you were gone.”
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:15 pm to SPEEDY
Just quit requiring these kids to go to school. They probably don't have a future anyway and ruin the school for everyone that wants to be there.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:15 pm to SPEEDY
quote:
EBR School Superintendent
quote:
Lamont Cole
quote:
doesn’t think 15 unexcused absences for a student is a problem
Color me shocked....
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:18 pm to tigerfoot
quote:
15 is a bunch. If they are teaching at all it would be hard to stay up
look at the school calendar and note how many days off they have during the school year. Not just the holidays, but the "in service" days too. These frickers don't go to school for a full month at any point. But the Super says 15 days missed isn't that BOaD? Fire him today.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:24 pm to SPEEDY
Yet another a-hole excusing bad behavior, trying to make the school district look better, and lowering already low standards under the guise of “helping students”. Eventually, they’ll be saying 30 days is too low.
These black “leaders” do everything to frick these kids over in the long run
These black “leaders” do everything to frick these kids over in the long run
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:27 pm to Deplorableinohio
quote:
The superintendent is part of the problem. Low expectations.
His priority lies with doing whatever he can to make the district look better without having to actually do any work. The only way you can do that is to lower any standards they’re measured by. This is to coverup the problems in the district from the schools to the shitbag parents.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:29 pm to SPEEDY
I saw this on the morning news today.
I was thinking back to when I was in HS. It seems like it would be really hard to miss 15 days. I understand these kids are coming from homes where they are pretty much raising themselves I am sure a certain percentage are just around until they reach the age they can quit... Is it 16? The most I can remember ever missing and I think I was in middle school.. was 5. I just remember I got sick really sick. The flu maybe mixed with some type of infection.. And I was out for like 4 straight days.
In HS, I think everyone got 2 inexcusable days and then the 3rd time you missed and didn't have an excuse you started to get... Maybe in school suspension then after a few more.. I want to say you you would get expelled. There is no way in hell a kid should have 15 unexcused absence. If someone misses 15 days I assume they are not making the best grades because they don't care about school, whoever has custody of them doesn't care about their school. If you miss 5 days without an excuse that needs to addressed.
I was thinking back to when I was in HS. It seems like it would be really hard to miss 15 days. I understand these kids are coming from homes where they are pretty much raising themselves I am sure a certain percentage are just around until they reach the age they can quit... Is it 16? The most I can remember ever missing and I think I was in middle school.. was 5. I just remember I got sick really sick. The flu maybe mixed with some type of infection.. And I was out for like 4 straight days.
In HS, I think everyone got 2 inexcusable days and then the 3rd time you missed and didn't have an excuse you started to get... Maybe in school suspension then after a few more.. I want to say you you would get expelled. There is no way in hell a kid should have 15 unexcused absence. If someone misses 15 days I assume they are not making the best grades because they don't care about school, whoever has custody of them doesn't care about their school. If you miss 5 days without an excuse that needs to addressed.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:35 pm to SPEEDY
It's time Trump took over schools. Way to much waste, fraud, abuse and outright laziness. Fire 75% of all administration staff and give that money to the classrooms.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:37 pm to SPEEDY
quote:
The Louisiana Department of Education defines truancy as five or more unexcused absences or tardies per semester.
quote:
Someone gets the flu. Someone gets Covid. A family member passes away
Should be excused.
quote:
or you go out of town to watch someone play, and get trapped. When you come back, you don’t offer an excuse as to why you were gone.”
???
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:41 pm to Deplorableinohio
quote:
The superintendent is part of the problem. Low expectations.
Correct. And Lamont doesn't want to hold his brothas and sistas in the community accountable.
nothing will change. It may get worse.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:42 pm to RunninReb
quote:
nothing will change. It may get worse.
I guarantee that they’ll end up raising the limit again
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:43 pm to SPEEDY
quote:
EBR School Superintendent doesn’t think 15 unexcused absences for a student is a problem
I guess this guy retired!

Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:45 pm to SPEEDY
I don't remember the number of days, but when I was in HS it was an auto fail for x number of days missed. Repeat the grade.
I rarely missed a day of school.
I rarely missed a day of school.
Posted on 8/19/25 at 4:52 pm to SPEEDY
honest question: When was the last time anyone pushed to raise the bar in education? at any level?
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