Chronic absenteeism continues to be an ongoing problem for schools in the southern Illinois region. This project aims to examine how schools meet the basic needs of chronically absent students, and if there are systems in place to track how student's basic needs are met. Basic needs were defined by the theory and work of Abraham Maslow. The data for this project was collected through structured interviews of school officials in four southern Illinois schools. The research found schools were meeting the basic needs of students both internally through local, state and federal dollars as well as externally through various community partnerships. Additionally, the research found schools had concerns beyond the basic needs as described by Maslow and ways schools waned to improve programming and engagement to improve attendance. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]