Questions about how to improve Alabama’s rising truancy rates dominated a town hall Sunday hosted by Rep. Phillip Ensler, D-Mongtomery, who said that a new pilot program may be the first step in reducing chronic absenteeism.

Like much of the country, truancy rates in Alabama have risen over the past decade, and accelerated dramatically during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the 2018-19 school year, 11.2% of Alabama students were chronically absent, which is defined as missing at least 10% of a school year. During the 2021-22 school year, that number increased by nearly 60% to 17.9%.