Perry County Leads Regional High School Attendance Challenge
Schools across the 14th Region are competing in a daily attendance challenge through Dec. 19, with 15 high schools vying for a trophy to encourage students to return to classroom learning. District leaders say attendance remains below pre COVID levels, and they hope a friendly competition will help boost daily presence and support student success.
Schools throughout the 14th Region are participating in a daily attendance challenge running through Dec. 19, with 15 high schools competing for daily wins and an overall trophy. The initiative was pitched by Perry County Schools Superintendent Kent Campbell and adopted by the region as a way to make attendance a visible, positive priority in classrooms.
District leaders note that attendance has not returned to pre COVID levels, and they are pursuing the challenge as a short term nudge to bring students back into the daily routine of school. "There’s no replacement for being in the classroom with a teacher and just the standard instruction that happens every day in our school district," said Jody Maggard with Perry County Schools. "And so we really want to promote and tell our parents, hey, the greatest place for your kids during a school day for them to learn is to be with that teacher."
The competition is framed as a lighthearted contest, but it arrives amid deeper concerns about chronic absenteeism and the long term consequences for learning and equity. Lower attendance can compound achievement gaps, strain graduation rates, and increase the need for remedial instruction. For Perry County families the stakes are local and tangible, affecting classroom dynamics, school funding models that rely on average daily attendance, and the capacity of teachers to deliver consistent instruction.
Public health and social factors remain part of the picture. Disruptions caused by the pandemic persist through illness, mental health struggles, transportation barriers, and economic instability, all of which disproportionately impact students from low income households. Educators and advocates say a competition alone will not solve these systemic issues, but leaders hope it will create momentum for follow up supports such as outreach to families, transportation solutions, and expanded connections to community health and social services.
As the contest continues through Dec. 19, school officials plan to monitor attendance trends and consider additional measures to address root causes of absences. For parents and community stakeholders, the challenge offers a reminder that consistent school attendance matters for individual students and for the broader health and resilience of Perry County schools.
