Walnut Creek families at Northgate High and other Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) schools will see a new attendance push starting in September.

The district is rolling out a campaign branded "Be here. Be ready. Belong.," along with a ParentSquare tool called "Attendance Plus" that lets families and schools communicate directly about absences, according to a district news post published Aug. 31. MDUSD is also displaying the message at Back to School Nights, in principals' newsletters and on digital signs outside schools.

Superintendent Dr. Adam Clark and Director of Enrollment Services Aurelia Buscemi presented chronic absenteeism data to the MDUSD Governing Board at its Wednesday, Aug. 26, meeting. The district defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of school days.

According to data Buscemi presented, 59 percent of students who are chronically absent in kindergarten or first grade cannot read at grade level after third grade. By sixth grade, chronic absence is one of three signs a student may drop out of high school. By ninth grade, attendance predicts graduation rates better than eighth-grade test scores.

"If students aren't here at school, then they can't learn and they can't take advantage of the social interactions with their peers and being around trusted adults, and also the meals which we serve," Clark said at the Aug. 26 meeting.

Buscemi told the board that interviews with MDUSD 12th-graders who were chronically absent pointed to unmet social-emotional needs and a consistent theme: a lack of belonging. The district's mental health team is now working alongside the attendance department to reach those families.

For struggling students, the district will provide personalized outreach, meet with parents or guardians to develop action plans and address barriers to attendance, according to the board presentation. Students missing 30 percent or more of school will receive additional family supports.

The campaign also includes new bus service for Rio Vista and Bel Air elementary schools and Riverview Middle School, according to an Aug. 7 MDUSD newsletter.

Board President Debra Mason attended Back to School Nights at six campuses, including Delta View, Sun Terrace, Rio Vista and Wren Avenue elementary schools, Holbrook Language Academy and Riverview Middle School. She said in the district's Aug. 31 post that she heard the same attendance message at every stop.

"The message is clear from all administrators," Mason said. "They're telling the parents the kids need to be here."

MDUSD enrolled 29,371 students in the 2025-26 school year. The Governing Board proclaimed September as Attendance Awareness Month, joining school boards statewide and nationally.