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School is in Session. Do you know where your child is? Everyday Counts!

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The Office of Family and Community Engagement was created to address absenteeism in the school division. 

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The Office of Family and Community Engagement was created to address absenteeism in the school division. 

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I was hired to address the chronic absenteeism that the school division is experiencing. Student attendance is extremely high and student achievement is decreasing rapidly as a result of missed instruction. The Office of Family and Community Engagement will reassign staff in the attendance office to canvas and monitor neighborhoods looking for students who are “skipping” school. These staff members will receive training immediately. After training and certification, these individuals will be assigned as Truancy Officers. These officers will transport students to school as appropriate.

District-wide, parents will be provided with a phone number for parents who are having difficulty getting their child to school. Parents can access this number and input their child’s ID number. This information will be placed in the school’s data bank and used to track student’s attendance. If a family uses this service more than two times, the district will intervene with mediation to determine the cause for absenteeism. Students will be provided with a volunteer mentor as a wrap-around service. All volunteers will be trained to work with the Family and Community Engagement Office to assist families having difficulties associated with absenteeism.

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School and Community Engagement
All school stakeholders were invited to assist the school division with developing a plan to increase student attendance. Social Media was used to inform parents and the community. Additionally, parent letters, emails, and newsletters were sent to school stakeholders

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Several community organizations were assigned to individual schools to assist  with meeting attendance and achievement goals.

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Several community organizations were assigned to individual schools to assist  with meeting attendance and achievement goals.

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Business organizations such as banks, restaurants, hospitals, colleges, universities, churches, synagogues, museums, fitness clubs, sororities, fraternities, grocery stores, retail stores, Redskins Football League, etc. partnered with the school district to increase student attendance and student achievement.

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School Board Policy §8-2.4:  Student Attendance and Absences/Truancy
Its the Law....
The Commonwealth of Virginia requires that all children between the ages of five and eighteen be enrolled in school and attend on a daily basis.  Any student who fails to report to school for a total of five scheduled school days (unexcused) for the school year will be referred to a school attendance officer for further action.
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School Board Policy  Policy 4-3.9 School Volunteers:

The division will accept  applications for new partnerships. Applications are required for organizations that want to provide services at no cost to the district. The application process is the first step in becoming a partner!

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The issue of truancy and a decrease in student achievement was addressed in the Superintendent's Forum. Parents and community leaders were asked to form a liaison with the school division to increase student achievement. While addressing student achievement, the district studied why academic scores were declining. The division realized that it had to address students missing instruction and learning because they were not in attendance at school. Although the school division is experiencing a budget crisis, this issue must be given a platform.

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The issue of truancy and a decrease in student achievement was addressed in the Superintendent's Forum. Parents and community leaders were asked to form a liaison with the school division to increase student achievement. While addressing student achievement, the district studied why academic scores were declining. The division realized that it had to address students missing instruction and learning because they were not in attendance at school. Although the school division is experiencing a budget crisis, this issue must be given a platform.

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The superintendent's office created a leadership position to oversee this crisis.

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The school division will meet  schedule monthly meetings to review data and discuss progress. The superintendent, school board, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community leaders will participate in these monthly meetings. FACE will facilitate this process to consider and determine if there is a need to adjust the plan to ensure that the district is on-course for improvement. 

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The school division will meet  schedule monthly meetings to review data and discuss progress. The superintendent, school board, administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community leaders will participate in these monthly meetings. FACE will facilitate this process to consider and determine if there is a need to adjust the plan to ensure that the district is on-course for improvement. 

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1. Increase in student attendance

2. Achieve state accreditation

3. Parent involvement in child's education

4. Create partnerships with all school stakeholders

5. Provide a safe environment conducive for student engagement and student learning

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 Financial donations and volunteer support was obtained from community organizations to assist schools with funding for wrap-around services for students and their families.

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 Financial donations and volunteer support was obtained from community organizations to assist schools with funding for wrap-around services for students and their families.

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Interventions include training for parents, support groups for students and families, extra-curricular incentives, reward ceremonies, etc.

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Sheldon, S., & Epstein, J. (n.d.).
Getting Students to School: Using Family and Community Involvement to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism. The School Community Journal. Retrieved June 2, 2018, from http://www.adi.org/journal/fw04/Sheldon & Epstein.pdf

Steven B. Sheldon (2010) Improving Student Attendance With School, Family, and Community Partnerships, The Journal of Educational Research, 100:5, 267-275