Absentee numbers so far this school year show some improvements for desmoinespublicschools but also continued warning signs. Chronic absenteeism has declined in 51 schools since the same time last year, with 11 of those schools improving their chronic absenteeism by 10% or more, district officials said. But eight schools have worse chronic absenteeism rates than a year ago, with six schools seeing rates of more than 50%, including Virtual Campus, East, Lincoln, North and Ruby Van Meter. Jenn Stalder, SUCCESS elementary and secondary supervisor, said the case managers' work goes beyond the schools and includes visiting students’ homes to help families. The case managers put families in touch with food pantries and help them with needs such as car repairs. To read more on what how new legislation is changing their work and see trends from past years, tap the link in our bio. #Iowa #IowaSchools #DMPS #DesMoines