California school districts see surge in absenteeism since campus reopenings

A MONTH INTO in-person learning for most California schools, some districts are reporting soaring rates of absenteeism due to stay-at-home quarantines, fear of COVID and general disengagement from school.

Even districts like Elk Grove and Long Beach that had relatively high attendance before COVID have seen big increases in chronic absenteeism — students who have missed more than 10 percent of school days.