North Carolina
Online assignments aren’t a cure for rising absenteeism in NC schools, researchers say
Missing too much school will hurt a student’s test scores, no matter the school — and even in an era of online learning, when some assignments can be completed from home, researchers say after examining North Carolina data.
Access to online assignments could only be having a marginal effect on academic outcomes, said Ethan Hutt, a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill researcher who co-authored a recent study on absenteeism.
Researchers pursued the study amid worsening attendance rates that have school leaders, policymakers and education experts around the country concerned. They say it’s part of a cultural shift in attitudes about the necessity of daily school attendance, sparked during the Covid-19 pandemic, when students learned mostly remotely and relied on access to assignments in online student portals or, in some cases, through paper packet delivery.
“We’re seeing basically a 65% increase in chronic absence rates,” said Hutt, an associate professor in UNC’s School of Education. “We’re seeing really, really large numbers of absences.”
About one-quarter of North Carolina students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, down from about one-third during the 2021-22 school year, according to state data. That means they missed at least 10% or more of school days. Before the pandemic, less than 16% of North Carolina students were chronically absent.
The study, published by the free-market think tank American Enterprise Institute, looked at absences and performance during the 2018-19 and 2022-23 school years in Maryland and North Carolina, at the student level. Scholars David Blazar, of the University of Maryland, College Park, and Seth Gerhenson, of American University, also co-authored the study.
Previous studies have linked chronic absenteeism and poor academic performance, and researchers wanted to see if and how the pandemic changed any of those realities. They found only that the academic consequences of chronic absenteeism are only slightly less severe — about 10% — than they were before, a phenomenon Hutt attributed to the increased availability of course materials online and other technology that can help students.
“Parents shouldn’t think, ‘Oh, well, the stuff is online. My student can catch up.’ You’re going to see the accumulative effect of these absences on student test scores,” Hutt said.
Hutt described the low attendance of students as a “cultural shift.” Low attendance in school is not merely a lingering effect of the pandemic, with high absences among students who had once attended school remotely, he said, because absenteeism is up even among kindergarteners.
Absences had a bigger impact on math scores than reading scores, researchers found. That was more true in North Carolina than in Maryland; in North Carolina, the impact on math was far worse and the impact on reading was much less.
The findings were consistent across urban, suburban and rural schools. That means the risk of worse academic performance exists for any student, regardless of the school they attend, Hutt said. Effects will be worse on lower-income schools, where attendance rates are often worse, he said.
Education leaders and policymakers should think about ways to communicate the consequences of poor attendance but also ways to help students get to school, Hutt said. For example, thinking about how a student in a rural area can get to school if they’ve missed their bus or working with organizations in communities with attendance struggles. Schools should figure out why students are missing school and put resources toward helping them get there, he said.
“This is a place where we will see a return on our investment,” Hutt said. “We know that if a student is there in school, they’re going to do better than if they’re not.”
Schools started many efforts to address attendance issues during and immediately after the pandemic, using one-time federal pandemic stimulus dollars. It’s unclear how many of those efforts remain, one year after the deadline to spend those dollars.
Some school officials told WRAL News last year they’d ramped up rewards for attendance and also punishments for failing to attend. Some districts are even referring more families to court to be held accountable for their children’s absences.
North Carolina
‘Infuriating, heartbreaking’: Raccoon recovering after getting caught in leg trap at Mecklenburg County park
The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A raccoon is fighting for its life after it got caught in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park this week.
North Carolina Wildlife Rehab said a group of children found the raccoon stuck in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park on Thursday, June 18, but did not specify which park.
“This is absurd, infuriating, and heartbreaking,” a spokesperson said. “Just think about how many animals may have already been harmed—and how many babies may have been orphaned because of this.”
Raccoon had heat stroke, front legs trapped
Wildlife Rehab said it’s unclear how long the raccoon was trapped, but both of his front legs were caught.
Thankfully, his legs were not broken; however, he suffered heat stroke and had a body temperature of 105.4 degrees.
“Please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts and prayers as he fights to recover,” a spokesperson said.
Multiple traps found on property
The children reportedly found the trap attached to a fence on an adjoining property, and investigators said officers found several more during their search.
“Thankfully, the kids did not attempt to free the raccoon themselves, though that easily could have happened,” a spokesperson said. “Instead, they immediately got their parents, who then contacted Animal Control.”
Officials said the raccoon was the second animal caught in a leg trap, and both incidents occurred at parks in Mecklenburg County.
Wildlife Rehab said the traps are illegal and cited animal cruelty. In North Carolina, however, foothold traps aren’t entirely illegal, but they’re strictly regulated by state law. They can be used in Mecklenburg County if they comply with state guidelines for trap size, jaw type, and proper tagging.
–> Also read: Trio stole donated blankets, beds from Cabarrus County animal shelter, director says
As of this writing, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed.
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
CHARLOTTE, NC (WCNC) – North Carolina is becoming a leader in artificial intelligence adoption among businesses – ranking ninth in the nation, according to a new LendingTree report. Over 22% of businesses in the state already utilize AI, with many more planning to incorporate it in the near future.
“I’m not surprised at all that North Carolina ranks high on the list in part because it’s a tech-forward state,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst with LendingTree. “There is a lot of financial institutions in that state and no one should be surprised that NC is on the cutting edge with using AI in businesses.”
The report also sheds light on the implications of AI for the workforce. Generative AI usage makes up around 85% of overall AI business usage. Most companies are using the technology for repetitive tasks such as summarizing information, analyzing data, drafting content, or assisting with customer service.
Large companies are leading the way in AI usage. Businesses with over 250 employees use AI at a rate of 37.3% while companies with fewer than five employees use AI at a rate of 19%.
Charles Gaddy was tuna fishing with his dad on Sunday, more than 40 miles northeast of Oregon Inlet, when he saw something he’d never seen before.
“I was just looking in the water, seeing if, you know, any birds or anything, and I see this big gray fish with white dots,” said Gaddy. “Just from reading books and watching movies as a kid, I was like, ‘that’s got to be a whale shark.’”
The 18-year-old said they circled it. He grabbed his GoPro camera and started recording.
“It’s just sitting there, swimming beside us. It really, truly was amazing,” said Gaddy.
Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish. They’re currently listed as endangered by the Union for the Conservation of Nature.
In the Western Atlantic, whale sharks are primarily found in the Gulf and throughout the Caribbean, according to Eric Hoffmayer, a research fishing biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service. He said they’ve seen numerous whale sharks make their way up the Gulf Stream, ending up in the New England area in late summer and early fall.
“We had an animal last year that we tagged off Tampa and within a month was off New York, and cruised right past North Carolina about this time of year,” said Hoffmayer. “It’s not unheard of, but it’s not real common either.”
Gaddy recognized how lucky he was to experience a sighting.
“To be able to see one in person, especially locally, it’s very truly amazing,” said Gaddy. “It’s no doubt a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m no doubt very blessed.”
If you do encounter a whale shark in the wild, Hoffmayer said, you need to be careful if you’re in a boat because they spend a lot of time at the surface. If you get in the water, keep a safe distance.
“Most people I’ve talked to who have encountered whale sharks, it’s like a life-changing experience,” said Hoffmayer. “It’s really cool to see an animal that large in the wild doing its thing.”
You can report whale shark sightings to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Fisheries Research and Development. If you’re able to capture a good picture of a whale shark, you can see if it matches one already in a database by uploading the photo and information about the sighting online.
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