The ongoing attendance crisis in New York City’s public schools reveals a troubling disregard for students’ education. With a third of students chronically absent, the city’s Department of Education (DOE) and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) are failing to address the issue, leading many to question whether they care about the students’ learning at all.
Mike Dowd, a public-school teacher, shed light on the situation in his column published in The Post on Friday. His comments confirm growing concerns about the deteriorating state of the education system in the city. According to Dowd, over 300,000 students are frequently absent from class, with many others missing parts of the school day.
The current system, which has been shaped by “equity” reforms implemented under former Mayor Bill de Blasio and continued under Mayor Eric Adams, does not allow teachers to penalize students for skipping class. As a result, Dowd argues, the longstanding expectation that students must attend class to pass has been discarded.
These policies have led to inflated graduation rates, which currently stand at 84% across the city’s schools. While this looks good on paper and helps secure federal and state funding based on attendance, it does little to address the underlying problem. The adults benefiting from this system, including administrators and teachers, seem more concerned with meeting funding requirements than ensuring actual student learning.
Some teachers and administrators may even justify these rules by suggesting that they make it easier to focus on the students who show up. However, Dowd points out that this lack of accountability sends a harmful message to all students. It also fails to inform parents about their children’s truancy, leaving them in the dark about their kids’ education.
Dowd warns that the shift in culture — where attending class is no longer seen as a responsibility but as a personal choice — is detrimental. Students who are regularly absent often ask their teachers how they can improve their grades and even request college recommendation letters. This attitude undermines the very principles of hard work and perseverance that students need to succeed in life, Dowd argues. Without these values, students risk growing up without self-discipline, reliability, and resilience.
In exposing the issue, Dowd has put his career at risk within the DOE, potentially angering UFT President Michael Mulgrew, who appears to support the current system. The situation also undermines the state law that mandates smaller class sizes, as those pushing for these laws do not seem to care whether students are actually attending the classes in the first place.
Despite the seriousness of the issue, it seems that no one in New York’s government is willing to speak out. Politicians are more focused on appeasing the UFT and other adult interests tied to the education system, rather than addressing the real problem at hand.
However, there is still hope for accountability. Congress could investigate the issue through hearings, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon or even the Justice Department could launch inquiries into the practices in New York City’s public schools. This may not be an isolated problem, and action is needed to ensure that students are receiving the education they deserve.
