Homebound: When Students Refuse to Go to School
An increasing number of children and adolescents are skipping school. In the US, one in four school-age children is chronically absent from school, while in the UK, it’s one in five. In Switzerland, there are no definitive figures, but the trend is clear: School absenteeism is on the rise. An attempt to make sense of it all.
“Stay at home” is more than just three words. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the unavoidable directive to forgo life outside one’s own four walls. Today, most areas of daily life have moved beyond the imposed isolation – except for two groups: adults who no longer return to the office and school-age children who either cannot or do not want to attend school. Experts describe this phenomenon as school absenteeism, a term that covers various forms of long-term school attendance issues. For instance, a high school student who consistently skips French class for months or an elementary school student who isolates themselves in their room for days due to school-related anxiety. This goes far beyond the occasional act of “playing hooky.”
“Tackling school absenteeism presents significant challenges. One can’t view school absenteeism as an isolated issue.”
School absenteeism is not a new phenomenon. Margrit Stamm, a professor of educational sciences, estimated the absenteeism rate in Switzerland at 5% as early as 2005. This rate averages to about one absentee child per class. School absenteeism was also a topic in a health survey conducted last year among over 2,000 second-year high school students in Zurich. Seven percent of girls and five percent of boys admitted to skipping school for a day or more without being ill. Experts believe the real numbers are significantly higher, as the available results are based on facts provided by the students themselves. In Switzerland, there is a lack of objective and “methodologically sound” data on school absenteeism.
The situation looks different in the United States. The American Enterprise Institute reports that 26 percent of public-school students nationwide qualified as chronically absent during the 2022–23 school year, compared to only 15 percent before the pandemic. Schools classify students as chronically absent if they miss at least 10 percent of the school year for any reason.
Students: Taking-a-breather with consequences
Tackling school absenteeism presents significant challenges. Children and adolescents who are chronically absent from school exhibit a wide range of symptoms: from stomachaches, lack of motivation, migraines, and sleep disturbances to anxiety and depression. The list of possible triggers is just as long: pressure, bullying, stress, fear of failure, family problems, or a suboptimal school and learning environment. “One can’t view school absenteeism as an isolated issue,” says Jana Bryjova, chief psychologist at the ASAP, the Ambulatorium für Schul- und Ausbildungsprobleme (Outpatient Clinic for School and Educational Problems) in Bern. It’s always a combination of circumstances. “In many cases, psychological disorders are one of these factors,” Bryjova explains. School absenteeism occurs across all social strata. What absentee children and adolescents have in common is that their absence provides them with a temporary “breather.” However, in the long term, their social and academic problems accumulate.
“It is important that both parents and schools clearly communicate that school attendance is mandatory.”
The frequent absence of classmates can also negatively impact the performance and attendance of the entire class. Because students can’t tell beforehand who among their classmates will show up, more students may opt to be absent. American Professor Michael A. Gottfried’s research shows that if 10% of a class is absent on a given day, the likelihood of further absences increases the next day.
Outpatient Clinic for School and Educational Problems (ASAP) in Bern, ASAP treats children and adolescents with school absenteeism issues. A coach and a psychologist work with the affected individuals for about three months. The combination of psychotherapeutic treatment and practical support aims to facilitate their reintegration into school. ASAP’s waiting list fluctuates. School absenteeism follows a “seasonal” pattern. In summer, demand is lower. Once school resumes and especially after the autumn holidays, there is a surge in demand. Researchers plan to study ASAP’s treatment quality and success rate. The education system: A difficult response American psychologist and professor, Katie Rosanbalm, attributes the surge in school absenteeism rates to the impact of Covid-19. In a March interview with The New York Times, she states emphatically: “Our relationship with going to school has become optional.” In a post-COVID world, the assumption of normalcy no longer holds. Concepts like “self” and “normalcy” have shifted into entirely new contexts. What used to be a logical routine for most – getting up, getting dressed, and going to school – has become a volatile matter shaped by an individual’s mood and environment. During remote learning, absences hardly mattered. Why shouldn’t a teenager take an extra “home office” day now and then, just like their parents? Will school absenteeism become the new normal? “Our relationship with going to school has become optional.” “Young people seem to be motivated to explore work conditions and environments outside of school,” says psychologist Jana Bryjova. However, current research suggests it’s not conducive to adolescents’ development to avoid school and its associated social challenges. Healthy psychological development depends on building relationships and facing challenges. In the past, school was the designated space for this. The “stay-at-home” school kids are now questioning this old mandate – from the comfort of their homes.
The school system finds it challenging to respond promptly. Students often have different teachers for their various classes, making it hard to track who is absent, how often, when, for how long, and for what reasons. The increased rate of teacher absenteeism and turnover exacerbates the situation. Complicating matters further are parents who tolerate and thereby support their children’s absences. “It is important that both parents and schools clearly communicate that school attendance is mandatory,” says psychologist Jana Bryjova. Avoidance and passive strategies benefit neither parents nor children. Educating parents and teachers is crucial. Regional education authorities are alarmed. Various cantons have produced informational brochures, while social services and school psychology departments have become acutely aware of the issue.
U.S. data show that socio-economic factors play a role. Some teens skip school to look after younger siblings. Others miss the bus and stay home. For some, getting to school simply isn’t feasible due to long distances and working parents. Such scenarios are hard to imagine in Switzerland. It seems more likely that students and workers are often shrinking from the same situation: to face the challenge of leaving their own homes under pressure to engage in tasks imposed by external parties and performed in the company of others. The adult world has seen the establishment of hybrid work cultures. Location, time, and work methods are secondary as long as the work is done properly. Will this soon also apply to the education sector? Is school absenteeism the new normal?