DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF EMPLOYEE ABSENCE CONTROL PROGRAMS IN FLORIDA'S SIXTY-SEVEN SCHOOL DISTRICTS

This study described the present condition of absence control programs within the sixty-seven school districts of the State of Florida. It was initiated when it became evident that the literature of educational administration was sparse in reference to current studies involving the effects of absence control strategies on school board personnel. This lack of reference in the literature of educational administration was contrasted with the wealth of information within the field of business administration. The question arose as to the actual state of existing absence control programs within the educational domain. This study found that few absence control programs existed within the Florida school districts. Little program innovation was evident, and even the most basic components of an effective absence control program were lacking. The Florida school districts were not consistent in their tendencies to maintain written attendance policies or standard procedures for reviewing absences. They did not conduct annual absentee studies nor create a list of chronically absent employees. Employee assistance programs like absentee counseling and alcoholic rehabilitation were virtually non-existent. The sparcity of educational research in the review of the literature was consistent with the scarcity of absence control programs within the Florida educational system.