k.i.s.s kids in school succeed

1. k.i.s.s kids in school succeed Presentation by Bridgett Arnold, Cynthia Bradley, Tristan Andres, Christine Slavens, LaRia Shea, Rita Brozka, Robyn Franklin, Debra Andrews

2. Panel One: Problem What can be done to reduce chronic absenteeism/truancy?

3. Definition of Truancy • According to the Colorado Department of Education the definition of truancy is: If a student is absent without an excuse by the parent/guardian or if the student leaves school or a class without permission of the teacher or administrator in charge, it will be considered to be an unexcused absence and the student shall be considered truant.

4. Effects of Truancy in Colorado According to the National Center for School Engagement: • Students recommended for truancy are the young people most likely to drop out of school. School dropouts have significantly fewer job prospects, make lower salaries, and are more often unemployed than youth who stay in school. In 1999, just over 14 percent of workers who had dropped out of school were poverty-stricken as compared with six percent of workers who had completed high school. The following are some powerful measures of the social and financial impact of truancy and the dropouts that result: • Less educated workforce (High school drop outs on average earn $260,000 less than a high school graduate in their lifetime) • Business loss because of youth who "hang out" and/or shoplift during the day • Higher daytime crime rates (44% of violent juvenile crime occurred between 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM in SD, CA in 1996) • Cost of social services for families of children who are habitually truant • Loss of federal and state education funding for schools (According to Venture Unified School district they would receive and additional $718,000 if every student makes up one day over the course of a year).

5. Statistics of the Effects of Truancy • 60% of students who left DPS for juvenile incarceration were chronically truant. • 60% of students who were expelled from DPS were chronically truant. • 20% of students who left to be home schooled were chronically truant. • 16% of students who attended more than one school in a school year were chronically truant. • 50% of students who drop out were chronically truant. • 63% of students who were no longer in school prior to graduation date were chronically truant.

6. And the survey says… A survey of Project Citizen participants on truancy and absenteeism.

8. 4. Do you feel that poor attendance has a negative affect on a student’s academic performance?

9. 7. Who has the biggest responsibility of ensuring that students are not truant?

10. Truancy in DPS

11. Current DPS Policies • If the school has received no indication that the child's parent is aware of such absence; notification will be by telephone on the day of absence, if possible, in writing, or by some other method • Consequences for truancies, unexcused absences, and unexcused tardies that may include lower grades or loss of academic credit • Providing for development of a plan, which may be in writing, to assist the habitually truant student in remaining in school; such procedures must provide opportunities for the full participation of the parent/guardian in the plan's development; the plan, at a minimum, must identify the reasons for the absences and measures to overcome them • Initiation of judicial proceedings, which will be according to the professional judgment of the school principal and staff, except that such proceedings must be initiated if the student has more than thirty (30) truancies or unexcused absences during a school year; for the purpose of this subsection, absences due to suspension or expulsion will be counted as excused

12. Current DPS Policies cont. • Provision of make-up work for suspended students upon the request of the parent/guardian or student, which may include the granting of full or partial credit for such work, if satisfactorily completed in a timely manner • A means to ensure that rules are consistently applied to all students • Withdrawal, in a timely manner, of pupils over 16 years of age if they have been absent for a twenty (20) consecutive school days and absences are unexcused or truancies; for the purpose of this section, absences due to suspension will be considered as excused • Provided, however, that no student shall be withdrawn after twenty (20) consecutive school days until the school has made a substantial effort to contact the pupil and/or parent by telephone or home visit for the purpose of identifying the reasons for non-attendance and developing strategies to address them; appropriate school personnel, including the social worker and counselor, should be involved in this effort

13. Panel Two: Alternative Policies

14. Alternative One On-site school nurse to verify school absences. Parents must bring students to school to confirm absences in order for absence to be excused. • Modeled after Centennial High School in Fort Collins, CO • Advantages: Less Unexcused Absences, Holds Parents and Students Accountable, Stabilizing Funding • Disadvantages: Overload on School Nurse, Costs, Punishes Legitimately Sick Children • Supporters: Teachers, Administrators, Stakeholders, Health Care Community • Opposition: Health Care Community, Parents

15. Alternative Two Check & Connect Program of Minneapolis Public Schools “A key component is a monitor or mentor who is responsible for working with students and their families to support their participation and engagement in school.” • Advantages: Trained Social Workers Provide Comprehensive Mentoring for Families, Timely Intervention, Preventative (Early Intervention) • Disadvantages: Cost, Mentor to Student Ratio Issue, Family Privacy Issues, Scheduling Issues • Supporters: Teachers, Counselors, City Officials, School Site Administrators, Community at Large • Opposition: Families, Students, Taxpayers, Teachers

16. Alternative Three Parent Incarceration Chronic Absenteeism can lead to negligence charges which can result in parent incarceration. • Advantages: decreased absenteeism, places responsibility on parents, increased graduation rates, decreases juvenile crime • Disadvantages: Cost, Possible Job Loss, Punitive no Preventative, Parents avoid punishment by transferring to another district, creates adversarial relationship between parents, schools, police. • Supporters: Teachers, School Districts, Law Enforcement • Opposition: Parents, Civil Rights Advocates, Taxpayers

17. Panel Three: The K.I.S.S. Policy K.I.S.S. the current DPS attendance policy goodbye!

18. Definition • Chronic Truancy is considered to be five unexcused absences or ten total absences in a semester.

19. The K.I.S.S. Policy Nurse Attendance clerk • Collects data on students and identifies chronic truancy in students who are reported ill without a doctors note. • Reports chronic truancy to SRO. • Reports chronically truant students to SRO.

20. The K.I.S.S. Policy School resource officer (SRO) Guidance counselor/social worker • Makes home visits to chronically truant students to inform parents that student either needs to return to school the following school day or return an official doctor’s note to school the following school day. • Once students are identified as chronically truant, the SRO reports students to Guidance Counselor/Social Worker. • Enrolls student and family in the Check and Connect Program. • If family fails to commit to the program Guidance Counselor/Social Worker reports negligence to SRO for further action.

21. As a last resort… • If parents refuse or fail the Check and Connect Program, the SRO reports instance of educational neglect to the local police department.

22. Check and Connect Program Key Features • Guidance Counselor/ Social Worker present in every school. • Development of a long-term plan focusing on the student’s educational success. • Routine monitoring of academic performance, behavior and attendance. • Timely and individualized intervention action taken based on monitoring results. • Ability to follow highly mobile youth from school to school. • Persistent source of academic motivation for students and families. • Promotes acquisition of problem solving skills. • Facilitates access to school related activities. The Check and Connect Program is used as a comprehensive approach to promoting student engagement, family involvement in education and improving student attendance. CCP is reflective of Response to Intervention.

23. Role of the Guidance Counselor/Social Worker • Extends the school’s outreach services to the youth and family to overcome barriers that have created disconnect between the school and family. • Fosters development of life skills and problem solving skills. • Monitors student’s attendance, social/emotional and academic progress. • Monitors needs and progress of the family.

24. Program Impact in Minneapolis Public Schools Elementary Referral Truancy Prevention Pilot Statistics • Demographic: 363 youth with and without disabilities and their families. • Setting: suburban • Age/Grade Level: referral at grades K-6, follow-along through secondary grades Selected • Indicators of Impact: • The percentage of students present at least 95% of the time increased from 17% at referral to 40% after 2 years of Check & Connect. • The percent of students arriving to school on time (no tardies) increased from 42% at time of referral to 86% after 2 years of Check & Connect. Lehr, C. A., Sinclair, M. F., & Christenson, S. L. (2004). Addressing student engagement and truancy prevention during the elementary years: A replication study of the Check & Connect model. Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk, 9(3), 279-301.

25. Panel Four:Action Plan

26. Action Plan: Steps We Have Taken • Researched the impact of truancy and absenteeism on academic, criminal, social and economic outcomes. • Examined current attendance policies of multiple states and school districts. • Interviewed Jerry Mason, Director of Student Services at Denver Community College, addressing truancy in high school effects success and placement in post-secondary education. • Surveyed educators from around the country regarding their local attendance policies, policy implementation and opinion on the effectiveness of the policies. • Phone interviewed June Arnett, Associate Director of the National School Safety Center, who directed us to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The OJJDP, distribute grant funds from the Department of Education and Department of Justice to schools for intervention and prevention programs to target truancy. We then researched how Colorado used these funds. • Interviewed YilanShen, Research Analyst with the NCLS, regarding existing state legislation on absenteeism in the US. • Interviewed State Senator Mike Johnson of CO on his perspective of the current Colorado state and district attendance policies. • Developed a comprehensive policy for the Denver Public School system based on our research, experience and needs of the school district.

27. Action Plan: Steps We Need To Take • Target elementary schools for an early intervention and prevention program. • Attend public meetings such as school board meetings and town hall meetings to keep abreast of current policies • Lobby and write letters to local public policy makers and stakeholders • Advocate for the policy to the public and local officials • Hold public meetings to gain support of community • Distribute flyers, stickers, buttons, KISSES and magnets to gain attention for our policy • Get a petition signed by community members who support the policy • Gain district and school faculty endorsements to validate the policy at public meeting

28. A POEM BY BRIDGETTE

29. Closing K.I.S.S IT GOODBYE!

30. Bibliography • "A Call To Action for School District Leaders." Addressing Chronic Absences in Schools. 29 May 2009. 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.chronicabsence.net/>. • "Arizona State Policy." Arizona Public Schools.” 17 Jun 2009 <ade.state.us.gov>. • Carlson, Cheri. "Saturday school broadens Ventura curriculum, helps district recover come state funds for absences." Ventura County Star. 27 March 2009. 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/mar/27/saturday-school-broadens-ventura-curriculum-some/>. • "Colorado Springs Student Policy." Academy 20 School Dist.. 17 Jun 2009 <http://galileo.asd20.org/policies/search.html>. • “Denver School Policy. Denver Public School.” 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.dpsk12.org/>. • Excerpts from the Yonkers Juvenile Crime Enforcemnt Coalition's Yonkers Juvenille Justice Strategy and Action Plan. 17 Jun 2009 <http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache;mp8_T9tnIHEJ:www.cityofyonders.com/modules/ShowDocumnet.aspx%3Fdocumentid%3D2788+truancy+impact+numbers+on+workforc7cd=1hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us>. • Heilbrunn, Joanna Zorn. "The Costs and Benefits of Three." Oct. 2003. The National Center for School Engagement. 17 Jun 2009 <http://truancyprevention.org/TruancypreventionRegistry/Admin/Resources/Resources/27.pdf>. • 2008. Juvinileconsutingservces. 17 Jun 2009 <www.juvenileconsultingservieces.com/TruancyReductionProgram>. • "Keeping Kids in School: The IMpact of the Truancy Provisions in Washington's 1995 "Becca Bill"." Oct. 2002. Washington State Institute for Public Policy. 17 Jun 2009 <www.ecs.org/ecs/ecsat.nsf/WebTopicView?OpenView&count=1&RestrictToCategory=Enrollment>. • MacGillivary, Heather. "Truance in Denver: Prevalence, Effects and Interventions." National Center for School Engagement. Aug. 2006. National Truancy Prevention Association. 17 Jun 2009 <www.Schoolengagement.org>. • "Manual to Combat Truancy." 12,Dec. 1997. USDA in cooperation with U.S. Dept. of Justice. 17 Jun 2009 <www.ed.gov/pub>. • Meiers, Amanda. "Truancy: Community-based Positive Behavior Strategies for keeping Adolescents in School." 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.sbbh.pitt.edu/files/powerpoint/truancyajmpresentation.ppt>. • "Memphis School Policy." Memphis City School.” 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.mcsk12.net/>. • “Poudre School Policy. Poudre School District.” 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.psdschools.org/>. • Romero, Mariajose'. "A National Portrait of Chronic Absenteeism in the Early Grades." Oct. 2007. National Center for Children in Poverty. 17 Jun 2009 <www.nccp.org/publications/pub_771.html>. • "Student Absences and Excuses Sample Policy 1994." July 2007. 17 Jun 2009 <www.cde.state co.us>. • Trujillo , Lorenzo A. "Griego: Truancy proves costly to students and all of Colorado." Rocky Mountain News. 27 Oct. 2005. 17 Jun 2009 <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4190236,00.html>.