Students who are chronically absent in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) have more than doubled this school year compared to last year, according to LAUSD data obtained via a public records request. Students considered chronically absent are those who have missed at least 9 percent of school days this year, according to the data. Chronic absenteeism, in the 2019–2020 school year was 15 percent, according to the data. In the two years prior it was 25 percent and again, 15 percent. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020-2021 school year, when LAUSD moved to online classes, chronic absenteeism remained consistent with pre-pandemic levels at about 18 percent. But as students returned to campus for this school year, it jumped to 46 percent. The data also showed that the number of chronically absent students is disproportionately high among economically disadvantaged students and those in foster care. …