The Washoe County School Board met Tuesday night to discuss changes following the governor's new directives.

The state is now allowing schools to open at 75 percent capacity, decreasing social distancing to 3 feet in classes, and allowing more students on school buses.

The trustees also addressed graduation concerns.

"Recovery is not going to take just one year. This is a multi-year approach," said WCSD Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill. The Washoe County School District is concerned about graduation rates as absentee numbers are nearly triple what they were the previous school year.

"It's called Senioritis. That is something we all battle with in the fourth quarter. It is hard to keep students engaged when they see the light at the end of the tunnel. This year more than ever," said North Valleys High School Principal Desiree Mandeville.

Course failures are also up. "The fall semester was very painful in that students were not engaging at all. We saw a lot of depression and a lot of anxiety," said Mandeville.

The District's Chief Accountability Officer says it's not just about a problem with distance learning. "I don't think there is any one reason for chronic absenteeism. There's a lot of fear in the system. There's some disengagement. There are some glitches," said WCSD Chief Accountability Officer Ben Hayes.

The district is looking at solutions to solve this problem this year and beyond. "We're fortunate to get grant funding for maybe additional mentors, definitely more supports at the school, and that may mean more educators in these building helping these kids," said Hayes.

North Valleys High School's principal says they've already seen a difference. "Having back some of the sports, being able to have activities on a small level. and having some of those carrots for those students and traditions that they have been missing all year will keep them engaged," said Mandevile. "We have people going to houses to get kids, and drop them off at different schools. The adults in the schools are really kind of forming relationships with these kids. That will pay off, it always has," said Hayes.

The board did also approve a motion to allow spectators at school sports games. District officials say they're hopeful that the return of sports will keep some students engaged. They are concerned about high rates of absenteeism at all grade levels right now.