Regular school attendance is an important factor in determining a student’s success in school. Frequent absences can cause students to miss important classroom instruction, fall behind in class work, and earn lower grades. This can lead to stress, frustration, and a negative attitude toward school. Parents play an important role in school attendance and should make sure their child attends school regularly. Parents are also encouraged to make sure the student is at school on time and allow him or her to complete the entire day.
If parents or guardians experience problems in getting their children to attend school regularly, they should be in contact with school staff members, including the guidance counselor, principal, and/or school social worker. All are willing to work with the family to provide support and assistance to promote regular school attendance.
The SSW promotes regular school attendance and is involved in all phases of truancy reduction including, but not limited to:
- Consultation with school staff
- Student attendance referral
- Parent/guardian contact
- Attendance Support Team (AST) meetings
- Referrals to community agencies
- Filing of truancy charges
- Attending truancy court hearings
- Staffing and coordinating with community agencies
- Chairing Attendance Protocol Committee