ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, September 12, 1996 TAG: 9609130010
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Teachers are stepping up the fight to keep kids in the classroom by taking it to the parents.
Amid the growing concern over high absentee rates, the Virginia Education Association is distributing fliers with tips for parents.
Nearly three out of every 10 students in the state miss more than 10 days each school year.
In some cities, such as Norfolk and Richmond, the rate rises to more than four in every 10 children.
During the 1994-95 school year, 29 percent of Virginia's students missed more than 10 days. The rate was the same in 1993-94, and 30 percent in 1992-93.
Statistics for 1995-96 are still being compiled, but school officials don't expect a dramatic improvement.
The Roanoke County Education Association, an affiliate of the state teachers' organization, will give fliers to all elementary and middle school students in the county to take home to their parents.
"We believe attendance is very important, and everyone needs to do their part - teachers, parents and students," said Kit Reavis, vice president of the county teachers' group. "Parents and students should realize that it can affect the student's entire life."
"The child who is absent cannot learn," Reavis said. "Make-up work won't replace the original planned lesson and the class interaction around that lesson."
The VEA recommends parents set bedtimes for children so they won't sleep late and to allow plenty of time for children to get ready in the morning.
Parents also are urged to refuse to write an excuse for anything other than a legitimate absence and make teen-agers who drive to school accountable for attendance.
Teachers recommend that families plan vacations so children don't miss school and try to schedule doctor and dentist appointments before or after school hours.
Roanoke County has one of the best attendance rates in Western Virginia, but Reavis said it can be better.
Twenty-one percent of Roanoke County's children were absent more than 10 days during the 1994-95 school year.
Giles County had the second best attendance rate in the region with 23 percent of its students missing more than 10 days on 1994-95. Bedford County ranked third with 24 percent.
Roanoke's attendance has been among the poorest in the region in recent years, with 34 percent of its children missing more than 10 days during 1994-95.
But Superintendent Wayne Harris has made attendance one of his priorities, and 14 schools in Roanoke improved attendance during the past school year. Six schools recorded an increase of more than 10 percent in the number of students missing 10 or fewer days.
National studies have shown that early absenteeism leads to truancy as the child grows older.
President Clinton recently announced a two-part nationwide effort to stop truancy, saying ``Truancy is a warning signal that a child is in trouble and is often a gateway to crime.''
The U.S. Department of Education will offer grants of from $300,000 to $500,000 to 25 school districts or community groups by the end of September to design and operate anti-truancy programs.
The federal government also will send a 12-page "Manual to Combat Truancy" to every school district. The manual offers advice on setting up anti-truancy programs and recommends that school districts offer parents incentives to take responsibility for making sure their children attend school.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart by staff: School attendance. color. KEYWORDS: MGRby CNB