ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, July 6, 1996 TAG: 9607080050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: VIRGINIA EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
At Fallon Park Elementary School in Roanoke, 65 pupils missed more than 25 days during the 1994-95 school year. The number was reduced to 16 during the past school year.
The statistics at Hurt Park Elementary show the same trend. A year ago, 41 pupils missed more than 25 days. In the past year, only 10 pupils missed more than 25 days.
Superintendent Wayne Harris said the school system's pilot project at the two elementary schools to reduce truancy by working with community and social service agencies seems to be working.
After pupils have 10 unexcused absences, school officials investigate and work with agencies, such as Social Services and Blue Ridge Community Services, to develop a plan for improving attendance. In other cases, pupils with a large number of absences and their parents are referred to the juvenile court.
"Collaborative efforts with social service agencies are absolutely necessary if we are to assist in meeting the needs of our students and their families," Harris said.
"The judges and court service workers in the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court have been primary players in truancy initiatives at Fallon Park and Hurt Park," he said.
The pilot project was part of a broader effort by the school system to reduce chronic absences, a major problem for the city in recent years.
During the 1994-95 school year, nearly 450 children missed 50 or more days. Forty percent of Roanoke's 13,200 students missed more than 10 days.
School officials said chronic absenteeism is a critical problem among children from low-income families as measured by eligibility for free and reduced-priced lunches. Forty-two percent of Roanoke's students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches, the fifth highest among urban localities in Virginia.
Harris has set a goal of reducing the number of students who miss more than 10 days by 10 percent a year.
In the past year, seven of the city's 29 schools met the attendance goal, he said.
Some schools sponsored contests and awarded bicycles and gift certificates to students for perfect attendance. Others displayed the pictures of students with improved attendance in cafeterias and halls.
Still other schools held dances and parties for students who didn't miss a day.
For students who aren't motivated by bicycles and other incentives, school officials took a more direct approach. They called the students' parents, visited their homes and worked with them to improve attendance.
The school system will step up its effort to reduce chronic absences next year with the creation of a student support team composed of psychologists and visiting teachers. The team will work with children who miss more than 10 days and deal with social and academic problems that keep the children out of school.
The School Board included $135,000 in the school budget for staffing the team.
Reducing chronic absences will help prevent academic failure, keep students in school and lower the city's 6 percent dropout rate, school officials said.
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