Aliyya Swaby Photo
Brian Henderson had a few suggestions for getting his peers to show up to school more often: changing the day’s start time to 9 a.m. or leaving kids an hour-long “open window for lateness.”
The New Haven Academy junior made those suggestions to community and school leaders who gathered at Celentano Biotech Health and Medical School Tuesday afternoon for the kickoff of the district’s “Attendance Matters” campaign to target students’ chronic absence. Dozens of people brainstormed concrete ways of raising awareness among families and school leaders.
The district’s new department of youth, family and community engagement is spearheading the campaign, as part of its work on youth development and family engagement.
Half of kindergarten students are chronically absent, making them more likely to drop out later, said Gemma Joseph Lumpkin, newly promoted to the district’s chief of youth, family, and community engagement. Younger students regularly miss school for three major reasons: health or trauma-related problems, lack of transportation and lack of understanding about the importance of showing up.
As part of the new campaign, district officials plan to expand community canvassing, going door to door in larger numbers to talk to families about the importance of attending school, said Adriana Joseph, the deputy chief of the department. Calls will go out to parents of students with four or more absences and eventually to parents each time their child is absent from school.
At the school level, dropout specialists will keep track of students regularly missing school. The district is also partnering with the health department to get pediatricians and clinics to address the health factors that keep kids at home, Joseph Lumpkin said.
Nijija-Ife Water, parent of a kindergartener and Elm City Montessori, said her son regularly misses school because he has “severe asthma.” She said parents should be encouraged to make appointments with teachers or principals after school to ensure their kids are on the right track. Sometimes parents need more flexibility and more options for communication, including text messages or emails, she said.
The next attendance canvass will be in mid-October, Joseph said.