Spann Elementary School students board a school bus following a full day of in-school learning, Sept. 6, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schools around the country and led to more children missing classes, the number of students who were chronically absent in Mississippi declined during the most recent school year, according to data released, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, by the state's education department. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
