Rochester City School District

It's a, uh, a nonprofit activist group in the city.

And what they did is they looked at absenteeism rates, uh, and they broke them down demographically, uh, for the suburban school districts and for the Rochester City School, uh, District.

And, uh, they basically said that Latino students, uh, miss a lot of school.

Uh, Black students miss, uh, a lot of school, but a little bit less.

Illegality? Okay, ladies and gentlemen, illegality.

That's easy, except that, remember, I'm a product of the Rochester City School District, okay? I'm going to keep throwing that out there to remind you.

40 years ago.

Because actions have consequences, Bob, and they're long-lasting.

As WXXI's Jose Sandoval reports, advocates and school officials say addressing those challenges is key to improving attendance.

Hispanic students in the Rochester City School District miss an average of roughly 38 days of school during the 2024-25 school year.

That's about three days more than the district-wide average, according to a report on chronic absenteeism released by the Children's Agenda.

Isabel Rosa, Community and Parent Advocacy Coordinator at the Children's Agenda, says the reasons students miss school can vary.

Things like caregiving, having to take care of family, school climate, mental health.

Are the children comfortable? Do they feel safe? Is it culturally appropriate? And, you know, transportation and even suspensions.

Rochester City School District has tried different approaches to address SMTism.

They include home visits to students with attendance challenges and the Strive for Five campaign that it launched in 2025.

I grew up here in the city.

Uh, single mom who raised me and put me through the Rochester City School District, and very proud to be the first RCSD graduate to serve in the Senate in over 40 years.

Um, got scholarships to college and law school, came back to Rochester and got my start working in public service for one of, I think, Rochester's, um, most beloved elected officials, and that's the late Congresswoman Louise Slaughter.

And 25 years later, Evan, I think we're working on some of those same issues that Louise championed, uh, making sure people have access to affordable healthcare, making sure that our public schools are terrific and not dependent on what zip code you live in, and making sure that our streets are safe.

Yeah.

So, uh, for, for education-wise, the city of Rochester, and not just the city of Rochester schools, we're talking about districts also, uh, we're looking at the literacy rates, um, across the board, and they're not great.

19% in the Rochester City School District is not great at all, and it's been- it seems like we're spending more and more money, and spending doesn't seem to be the problem.

When do we start holding the school, uh, district accountable for not achieving the results? Because you couldn't do that at a Fortune 500 company.

Muchas gracias, and thank you for clarifying that.

Hey, just a reminder, I am a product of the Rochester City School District.

I'm just saying.

Peter-

History.

Something that you are pretty versed at, and I am not, and I'm gonna blame it on the Rochester City School District, right? I'm gonna blame it on the fact that, check it out.

See, I never really truly understood why I needed to understand what happened yesterday in order to understand what happens today.

Pero mira, as our nation, right, our, our, our great nation marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, well, much of its national attention, naturally, well, it's been returning to things like, well, liberty, independence, self-governance, and for some, even equality.

I'm Michaela Singleton.

The Rochester City School District opens up a new resource center to connect better with parents and guardians.

Our reporters take a closer look at a former rising star suddenly ousted from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, accused of statutory rape.

And later, both governor candidates campaigned across New York this weekend.

We take a look at where that race stands now as we get closer to the midterms.

It's Monday, September 28th.

The Rochester City School District has opened its very first parent center.

Officials say this is a hub for families to access district resources and connect with community-based organizations.

It's Wednesday, September 23rd.

A former assistant principal in the Rochester City School District is suing to get his job back.

This after he was accused of physically abusing students and subsequently fired.

Here's WXXI's Gino Finelli to explain the case.

A new report offers a detailed look at how severe the local school absenteeism issue has become.

The Children's Agenda compiled data from all Monroe County schools, and they found that every district has seen absenteeism increase since the pandemic.

In fact, in the Rochester City School District, 71 percent of high school students are chronically absent.

Isabel Rosa is a parent advocate coordinator at the Children's Agenda, and she joined WXXI's Connections with Evan Dawson discussing what needs to happen to keep kids in school.

Worst s- school...

Worst public schools in the country, Detroit, Michigan, and a close second is Baltimore, Maryland, followed by Jackson, Mississippi, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Memphis, Washington, DC, number eight, coming in at number eight, the Washington, DC, public schools, Newark, New Jersey, and Rochester City School District.

Just an embarrassment of stupidity.

And the, the, the worst part of it is the money spent.