NCJ Number
163895
Date Published
1996
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the Comprehensive Attendance Plan and Transition Programs used by the Richmond Public Schools (Virginia) to increase school attendance and counter truancy.
Abstract
The plan involves the participation of the home, the school, and the community. Contact is made with the home as early as possible on the first day of an absence to determine the reason, and on the third consecutive day that a student is absent, contact is made with the home by the attendance worker in collaboration with the principal and attendance officers or social workers, including home visits to determine the reason for an absence. Students are responsible for securing written permission from their parents and informing the school officials if they leave school for any reason during the school day. When any student has 5 days of absence in a 6 weeks' period, a contact is made with the home, and a conference is held between the principal, the student, and the parents; this is done to communicate the negative impact of poor attendance upon the student's progress. On the sixth consecutive day of absence, social work services, with the assistance of the return-to-school officers, immediately make a home visit. Referrals are made for continued absences. If, after a thorough evaluation, it is apparent that court action is indicated, appropriate court referrals are initiated. This paper profiles the roles and responsibilities of various agencies and professionals in the program and discusses the importance of collaboration among persons and agencies within the school system and in the community. Transition programs were developed by the Richmond Public Schools to strengthen academic, social, and emotional skills prior to a student's returning to their home school or other facilities or programs in the Richmond Public Schools. Various transition programs are briefly described.