DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - After the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic absenteeism doubled from 15% to 30%, according to the White House.

Administrators and educators throughout Macon-Piatt Regional Office of Education recognized this trend locally, and tried to find a way to get more kids back in school. They realized the adjustment from online learning, to full-time, in-person classes was difficult for many students.

"What we have found, especially since post pandemic, that we have a lot of kids with severe anxiety or other barriers that are preventing them from coming to either their home, traditional school or even alternative school," said Jill Reedy, Regional Superintendent of Schools, for Macon/Piatt Regional Office of Education #39. 

The team at ROE #39 created a program called Option 3, which gives students a choice that is different from traditional or alternative classrooms. While students complete their typical classwork online, they also have social-emotional learning classes. 

"Credit recovery is a big part of what we're doing, but also giving the kids confidence, building their character, so that when they go out and try for a job or whatever's next in their life — if it's schooling or something like that — that they can do what they need to do," said Carrie Hogue, Director of Culture and Climate for ROE #39. 

The program was created for students who have truancy issues. Because many don't attend school due to mental illnesses like anxiety, ROE #39 staff created a environment that feels particularly comfortable. This includes calm rooms for students to go if they need to decompress or be alone, and flexible seating for kids who want to be in a different environment. 

Right now, there are 13 kids in the option 3 classroom at ROE #39. However, there are two more classrooms that the staff hope to fill with students as they get more teachers on board. Program Director, Sean Lee, also hopes other districts learn from the style of Option 3.

"I would love to see it spread tout to different districts, because from my perspective, it's really meeting the needs of the kids in the community," said Lee. "We can't let them fall through the cracks. We have to at least extend our hand and try some new and innovative ways that we can gets some of these students back into education so they can succeed."

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