Derby schools roll out Skyward automation for truancy letters; staff work to prevent mistaken absences

Derby Public Schools staff told the board on Aug. 4 that a new Skyward configuration will automate state-required truancy notifications and a district “nudge” letter system intended to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Dr. Dawn Gresham, director of special services, said a stakeholder group including administrators, social workers and counselors collaborated on streamlining attendance reporting for 2024–25 and that the district automated both “nudge” letters and statutory truancy reporting through Skyward. Building principals will review auto-formatted letters weekly so administrators can withhold letters for medical and other validated reasons, she said.

Assistant Superintendent Holly Putnam Jackson, joined by technology and building leaders, said the district is also addressing cases when students leave during the day for athletics or activities. Dennis Elich, director of technology, said Skyward is new to the district and offers finer filtering and automation, but staff need time to “tweak and tune” notification filters. Katie Toole, director of teaching and learning, asked for patience as staff refine rules so excused activity attendance does not trigger parent notifications.

Gretchen Pontius, Derby High School principal, said activity rosters can be fluid and that the school is working to send rosters earlier and update them as changes occur. The district is also testing positive-attendance badge scanning at the high school to reduce lineups and to provide better data on students who leave campus; that test was scheduled the day after the meeting. Officials said teachers will continue to take attendance at the start of each block even as badge scanning is piloted.

Board members asked about teacher and substitute practices that can delay attendance entry; staff said online absent requests, teacher checks, or contacting the attendance office remain ways to clear mistaken absences. Staff also said the district is coordinating with the county district attorney’s office and the Department for Children and Families on required parent notifications for truancy-related matters.

Ending: The district emphasized that Skyward automation should speed and standardize attendance notifications but acknowledged several implementation tasks remain; administrators and technology staff will continue tuning filters and rollout of positive-attendance tools.