28% of Kentucky students were chronically absent last year, up from 18% before the pandemic; national increase was even more

By Al Cross

Kentucky Health News

Twenty-eight percent of students in Kentucky schools were chronically absent from classes during the last academic year, compared to 18 percent in the 2018-19 school year, according to a national study done at Stanford University with the help of The Associated Press.

But Kentucky's increase was less than the national increase, so much that its figure is now about the national average instead of above it.

Kentucky's rise of 10 percentage points was an increase of 56 percent. Nationally in 2018-19, 14.8 percent of students were chronically absent from school; in 2021-22, it was 28.3 percent. That increase of 13.5 percentage points was a rise of 91 percent from the last year before the pandemic.

"The large and broad increases in chronic absenteeism suggest many students are failing to re-engage in schooling as in-person instruction returned," wrote Thomas Dee, the Stanford education professor who conducted the study.

"The data from 40 states and Washington, D.C., provides the most comprehensive accounting of absenteeism nationwide," AP reports. However, Dee's statistical analyses of the data were unable to find a pattern that explained the wide differences among the states.

Dee said he tested found little if any correlation between chronic-absenteeism growth and a state's infection rate, its classroom masking policies, enrollment losses or differences in how "chronic absemteeism" is defined. Kentucky defines it as missing 10% or more of the year for any reason.

Kentucky's chronic-absentee rate in 2018-19 was higher than the national average. Last year, it was about the same as the national average. (The report gave rates in whole percentage points, not tenths of points.)

The Economist reports possible reasons for increased truancy: "Having experienced remote learning, some students — and perhaps their parents — no longer think it essential or even worthwhile to sit in a classroom. 'It’s the same thing as in the workplace,' says a teacher in New Orleans. 'Once you’ve gone down to only being there two or three days a week, coming back all five is hard.' His classrooms are especially empty on Fridays, he says, so he avoids scheduling the most important lessons then. After the pandemic, people 'started catering to their mental-health needs,' says Tieshia Robinson, a principal at Chicago Collegiate, a public charter school in the city. For parents, that might mean allowing children who are unhappy at school to skip days. Pupils have also grown used to staying at home at the slightest sign of physical illness, says Greg Frostad of New Mexico’s education department."

The highest 2021-22 chronic-absentee rates, 49% and 48%, were found in Alaska and the District of Columbia, which also had the highest rates in 2018-19, 30% and 29%, respectively. The third-highest rate, 40%, was in New Mexico; that was more than double its 2018-19 rate of 18%. Arizona's rate also more than doubled, from 13% to 34%, the eighth highest in 2021-22.

Most of those leaders have high shares of miniority populations. "The pandemic growth in chronic absenteeism exacerbated pre-existing inequalities," Dee writes, noting that the increases were larger "among economically disadvantaged students as well as Black students and Hispanic students."

Other states where the rate doubled or more than doubled were Washington, 15% to 33%; California, 12% to 30%; Mississippi, 13% to 28%; Massachusetts, 13% to 28%; Texas, 11% to 26%; Iowa, 13% to 26%; and Connecticut, 10% to 24%. Dee reports that early figures for 2022-23 from Massachusetts and Connecticut show continued high absenteeism, and The Economist reports a like pattern in England and Australia.

Graph adapted by Kentucky Health News from "Higher Chronic Absenteeism Threatens Academic Recovery from the Covid-19 Pandemic," paper published by OSF Preprints, Center for Open Science. 

Beshear defends pandemic mitigation strategies that hurt student learning, saying that loss can be made up but lives can't

Gov. Andy Beshear (Official portrait)

Gov. Andy Beshear discussed a number of health topics during an interview with Bill Bryant on WKYT-TV's "Kentucky Newsmakers," including medical cannabis, Delta-8 THC, abortion and the state's response to the pandemic as it relates to education. 

Asked if he could have done anything differently in the pandemic to mitigate the loss of learning among Kentucky's school children, Beshear told Bryant that regardless of the varied approaches taken by states, "Everybody has suffered this learning loss." 

Noting that Covid-19 has killed 17,400 Kentuckians and would have killed many more, he said, "We can make up for learning loss. But we can't make up for the loss of life of a single parent whose kids are left without them, or from a grandparent." 

The question was prompted by statewide test scores, released in October, that showed fewer than half of Kentucky public-school students were reading at grade level, with even lower scores posted in mathematics, science and social studies, the Louisville Courier Journal reported in October.  

Republicans have strongly criticized Beshear's pandemic policies that  closed schools to in-person learning, saying they contributed to the dismal test scores. State party spokesman Sean Southard told Bruce Schreiner of the Associated Press, “Despite his efforts to run away from his pandemic actions, students and parents will not forget the biggest contributor to learning loss in the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Governor Andy Beshear." 

Beshear has introduced an Education First Plan to address the teacher shortage and loss of learning for students during the pandemic that includes, among other things, a 5% pay raise for school staff and universal pre-K. Funding  for this initiative would require the approval of the General Assembly and opening the biennial budget in an off-year. Republicans who run the legislature have ignored similar proposals from him.

Medical cannabis and Delta-8 THC

Beshear told Bryant that his recent executive order to allow possession of up to 8 ounces of cannabis for medical purposes is "limited and specific" because he can only do so much through executive authority. 

The executive order allows individuals who have one of 21 conditions that are certified by a medical professional to legally purchase medical marijuana in one of the 37 states where it is  legally sold. The order takes effect Jan. 1, 2023. 

Beshear went on to encourage the legislature to pass a medical marijuana bill during the next legislative session, which begins in January. A bill passed the House this year but got no hearing in the Senate.

"I'd say to our General Assembly I'm not trying to fight with you, but something has to be done and  that's why we've taken our actions," he told Bryant. "So please come in, pass medicinal marijuana. I'll rescind both orders happily if you do."

Beshear's other executive order about cannabis regulates Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, a legal psychoactive substance that comes from hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD. The main psychoactive compound in marijuana is Delta-9, which is more potent. 

"We just need to ensure that since it's a legal product, at least at the moment, that we are properly regulating it," Beshear told Bryant. He added that the process will also set up a system of regulation that could easily be expanded to medical marijuana. 

Sen. Paul Hornback, R-Shelbyville, sponsored Senate Bill 170 during the last legislative session to ban Delta-8 THC in Kentucky. It passed out of the Senate, but was not considered in the House. 

Abortion

Asked if he thought the failure of Amendment 2 on Nov. 8 meant that Kentuckians want abortion restrictions to be loosened going forward, Beshear said he thought it showed Kentuckians were opposed to the state's current abortion law, which does not allow for exceptions for rape or incest. 

"I think that vote shows that Kentuckians oppose the most extremist law in the country," he told Bryant. 

The amendment would have amended the state constitution to say that nothing in it should be construed to create a right to abortion or funding of abortion. After it failed by 5 percentage points, the state Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit against current laws, one of which took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in June. 

Seven Healthy Kentucky Champions named by Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky; finalists for Friedell Award to be given Oct. 17

The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has announced its 2022 class of Healthy Kentucky Champions. The awards recognize individuals dedicated to improving the health of Kentuckians at a community level or state level; they are finalists for a statewide award to be announced in October.

“These seven Healthy Kentucky Champions are an inspiration to all working to better the health of our state,” said Ben Chandler, president and CEO of the foundation. “We owe them much gratitude for their dedication to addressing some of the health challenges Kentuckians face. The commonwealth is better because of these Healthy Kentucky Champions.”

The seven Healthy Kentucky Champions are nominees for the 2022 Gil Friedell Memorial Health Policy Champion Award, which comes with a $5,000 grant from the foundation to a Kentucky-based nonprofit of the winner’s choice. This year’s Friedell Award winner will be announced at the Howard L. Bost Memorial Health Policy Forum Oct. 17. The forum will focus upstream the social determinants of health on the connection between educational opportunities and health outcomes of Kentuckians. To learn more and register for this free, virtual event, click here.

The Healthy Kentucky Champions are Dr. Patricia Bautista-Cervera of Louisville, Eric Crawford of Maysville, Terry Gehrke of Louisville, Denise Hall of Trimble County, Michelle Howell of Scottsville, Dr. Patrick Kitzman of the University of Kentucky and Mark Thomas of Todd County.

Dr. Patricia Bautista-Cervera

Dr. Patricia Bautista-Cervera is a pediatrician and pediatric allergist at the La Casita Center, an organization dedicated to enhancing the well-being of Louisville’s Latinx and immigrant community. As health empowerment coordinator, Bautista-Cervera works to promote health through workshops, informational videos, one-on-one communications, and other various means. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she delivered important information to the Spanish-speaking community through the online video series, “Consejos de Salud con la Dra. Paty.” She also was instrumental in developing virtual forums with stores and restaurants to educate the Hispanic community about the virus and promote preventive measures and vaccination. In 2020 she supported 994 Covid-19-positive patients, offering medical guidance and, through an empowering model, connecting them to LCC’s wrap-around services and other resources in the community.

Eric Crawford

Eric Crawford, a Maysville native, joined Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana in 2013. Crawford’s education in the endocannabinoid system and cannabis, as well as his experience as a quadriplegic, has fueled his passion for advocating for the legalization of medical marijuana in Kentucky. He has been involved in crafting legislation and has testified at the state Capitol about how cannabis improves his quality of life. He is a member of the Governor’s Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee and has also traveled the state with Kentuckians for Medicinal Marijuana for more than 50 medical cannabis educational seminars. Crawford remains active in the Maysville community by serving on the Lions Club and volunteering at a nursing home. He is a Finis Davis Fellowship recipient through the Kentucky Lions Eye Center and a past member of Kentucky Partners in Policymaking through the Commonwealth Council for Developmental Disabilities.

Terry Gehrke

Terry Gehrke has been in the fitness-wellness industry for more than 30 years. She founded Balanced Wellness LLC in 1999 in Jefferson County and still leads the organization as president and wellness consultant/health educator. Gehrke joined the Kentucky Diabetes Network in 2019 as executive director and has guided the organization to promote better health for Kentuckians at-risk for and living with diabetes. She leads KDN’s symposium committee each year to offer the largest professional education opportunity for diabetes training in the state, the Kentucky Diabetes Symposium. Gehrke’s background includes teaching in the University of Louisville Health and Sport Sciences Department and working with Southeast Christian Church’s Sports & Fitness Ministry. Gehrke is a member of several organizations including the National Wellness Institute, the National Physical Activity Society, and Exercise is Medicine.

Denise Hall

Denise Hall of Trimble County began working in the substance use prevention field in 1998 at Seven Counties Services. In 2003, she became coordinator for Trimble County Family Resource and Youth Services Center before writing two Drug Free Communities grants and directing them. The DFC grant is now in its 10th and final year. Hall’s work includes implementing a Drug Education Series in Trimble County and a Sources of Strength group at Trimble County Junior/Senior High School. She administers a survey to middle and high schoolers to understand the needs for substance-misuse prevention. Hall was crucial in getting vape detectors installed at the high school and is managing director of the Trimble CARES Coalition.

Michelle Howell

Michelle Howell co-owns Need More Acres Farm in Scottsville with her husband Nathan. She has an agriculture degree from Western Kentucky University and previously worked for University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension assisting tobacco farmers as they transitioned to fruit and vegetable production. She collaborates with local and state partners to increase equitable opportunities for farmers. Howell has also been involved in writing grants worth more than $2.4 million to benefit food access, women’s life courses, and urban-rural development. Need More Acres co-founded the Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green, which piloted several Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program incentives. CFM was essential to growing Kentucky Double Dollars into a statewide program and CFM is one of the organization's pilots of the Fresh Rx MOMs program for expecting mothers on Medicaid. Both programs help under-resourced Kentuckians access fresh, healthy food from farmers markets. Additionally, Howell partners with UK, WKU and Kentucky State University for interactive professional development on diversity and inclusion.

Patrick Kitzman

Dr. Patrick Kitzman is a professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Physical Therapy. He’s also founding director of the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network, a team that develops strategies to reduce disability and improve the quality of life for individuals with neurological impairments living in underserved rural Appalachian counties. Kitzman and his team established projects CARAT and CARAT-TOP. In CARAT (Coordinating and Assisting the Reuse of Assistive Technology) students learn to refurbish used medical equipment and donate it to those in need in the community. CARAT-TOP (Coordinating and Assisting the Reuse of Assistive Technology- Together One Priority) is a training program created through a partnership with the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health. It brings together community members and high-school students of all abilities to learn new skills to help individuals and communities affected by disability.

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas, Todd County Schools superintendent, was instrumental in establishing the AXIS Program: Centering All Services in the district. In partnership with the Todd County Health Department, the program addresses students’ social and emotional well-being through mental-health case management. The program also assists with basic needs such as nutrition, clothing, toiletries, housing, transportation, and treatment for substance use disorder. Thomas played a crucial role in gaining needed buy-in of the program from staff and the community. Through his support, the program is expanding services to include parenting classes, prenatal classes, and mental health awareness programs for students and staff. Thomas began his career in Shelby County in 1996 as a middle school teacher. He has served in a number of school and district administrative roles across Kentucky before starting his current position in 2020.

Cancer plagues Appalachia, so a UK program brings high-school and college students from the region into the study of it

The nation's highest cancer rates are in Appalachia, especially in Appalachian Kentucky. But the state is also home to an effort to get young people from the region involved in research to prevent and cure cancer.

It's at the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center, where college and high-school students from Appalachian Kentucky can explore research, clinical care and education "to help them learn more about pursuing careers in fighting cancer," Tom Martin of Richmond's WEKU-FM reports for The Daily Yonder.

The program is called ACTION, for Appalachian Career Training in Oncology, the study and treatment of cancer. It's directed by Nathan Vanderford, an associate professor of toxicology and cancer biology. He is editor of a book of student essays, Cancer Crisis in Appalachia: Kentucky Students Take ACTION , published by the University Press of Kentucky in 2020. A second edition, being edited by Vanderford and Chris Pritchard, is forthcoming.

Professor Nathan Vanderford with the students' book
and photographs (UK photo by Pete Comparoni)

Vanderford told Martin, "We truly do have a cancer crisis in Appalachian Kentucky. The state continues to rate number one in overall cancer incidence and mortality rates. And so it’s critically important that we bring awareness to this fact across the state, and particularly in Eastern Kentucky," which lacks oncology professionals and is distant from health-care centers.

"We are on a mission, and we think it’s really important to train the next generation of oncology professionals who are going to tackle the cancer problem in Appalachian Kentucky, and to have those be individuals who were born and raised and have a personal understanding of the issues that the area faces," Vanderford said. "And who best to do that than the youth of the region?"

Vanderford is from Appalachia, and lost his father to lung cancer in 2010. He told Martin that's when he "became really passionate about cancer and cancer disparities. . . . Just shortly thereafter, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and luckily she was diagnosed early and went through some successful treatment and she’s OK today. So from a personal perspective . . . I’m deeply passionate about this work because of that. But in general, I just absolutely love working with students. It’s just so exciting to work with students, particularly students from Eastern Kentucky. We have amazing students in this state and they just need opportunities. In many of these rural areas, there’s fewer opportunities, outstanding students, and they can just excel when given opportunities like this to take the ball and run with it, so to speak."

Appalachian Kentucky students who are interested in applying to participate in ACTION may find information on the Markey Cancer Center website. The deadline for high-school students apply is May 13. The deadline for college-student applications has passed for this year. For more on the students' work, including photography that they used to illustrate their writings, click here.

Lexington students' contacts with counselors, social workers and other mental-health professionals have quadrupled in pandemic

The pandemic has quadrupled the "contacts between Fayette County students and district counselors, social workers and other mental-health professionals," reports Valarie Honeycutt Spears of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

In the current school year, there have been 303,607 such contacts, compared to 74,174 for the same period in 2018-19 and 220,797 in 2019-20, the school year in which the pandemic began, Spears reports. When instruction went remote, the schools began providing mental-health services, Fayette County Supt. Demetrius Liggins said Tuesday at a Commerce Lexington luncheon.

Liggins said the use of those services “is probably the biggest surprise for educators in general. We knew about the learning loss. We knew kids were home and they weren’t learning as effectively as they would have been if they had been in person. We really did not realize the impact that the isolation and the lack of socialization had on our students and on our staff, quite frankly, and how that would impact the school year.”

Spears reports, "Students elsewhere in the state recently told Kentucky lawmakers that students were suffering from mental health issues as a result of their time in at-home learning." The state House has passed a bill that "would excuse student absences for mental health reasons." It is in the Senate Education Committee.