One of the main initiatives this school year is attendance. The school’s administration is focusing on making sure students are in class on time and get to class on time. 

“Help [students] understand the importance of school and education and how important school and education is and how important it is to be where you’re supposed to be,” JT Owens, Attendance Dean said.  

One of the MSDLT board goals is a 94% attendance rate, but in the 2021-2022 school year the attendance dropped significantly, so the township wants to bring that number back up. 

“When Covid happened, it affected our attendance poorly and it has been stuck ever since,” Owens said. 

There is an attendance team in place now to enforce the rules and to address tardiness and absenteeism. They say that students need to form good habits now.  

“It’s going to help in the future and being on time is going to become a habit,” Owens said. 

Assistant principal Donny Mimms is one of the staff working with the new attendance team to address tardy issues and students being in school. He says the new attention to attendance has been going well so far. 

Besides working with students on their attendance issues, Mimms says they are also reaching out to the students’ parents. 

“Communicating with families as students miss and try to be as helpful as possible,” Mimms said.

Mimms says there is a very basic reason why attendance is important. 

“Students learn best when they’re at school,” Mimms said