Police chief attacks truancy in Metro schools

WKRN (Channel 2 News) Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas is calling on the Metro School District to keep track of its students and Tuesday night, vented his frustrations to board members. He said Tuesday morning police checked on a 17-year-old Antioch High School student arrested in February for aggravated burglary. While a check of the attendance system showed the student was present at Antioch, he was nowhere to be found. "As it turns out, his first period teacher did not bother to enter his absence in the system," he explained, blaming the school district for failing to keep track of students. "If we're out there investigating crimes and calling the system and we're told the student we're looking for is present and accounted for like we found out in Antioch [Tuesday] morning, and it's not the case, what does that do?" he asked. In just one week, between September 30 and October 6, Metro police arrested 19 students for truancy. On average, the students have missed 10 days of school but one student was listed as having 23 unexcused absences. "It not optional whether or not we have reliable attendance data," Metro School Board Chair David Fox reiterated, adding new attendance software has been part of the problem. "There have been some problems using the software and also making sure its functioning the way it's expected to," he said. Fox expects much more reliable attendance data in the upcoming weeks. Chief Serpas said that is long overdue. "We're not trying to tell the school board what to do, we're making it very clear to them crime goes up in a certain part of town, and its daytime burglaries, they've got some responsibility for this," he said. In a statement Mayor Karl Dean said, "With the new Metro student attendance center, it is my hope and expectation that Metro police, Metro schools and juvenile court will continue to work in partnership to best resolve the issues facing our truant students and to provide positive early interventions so that the students are reengaged in school life as quickly as possible."

New truancy center addresses problems beyond academics

By NATALIA MIELCZAREK • Staff Writer (Tennessean) • July 5, 2008 Starting this school year, Metro students picked up by police for cutting classes will have an extra resource to help them stay in school. A new $500,000 attendance center will offer counselors on staff to assist them — and their families — in addressing problems that extend beyond academics, from poverty to addiction to neglect. The central goal of the program is to boost Metro's 70 percent graduation rate by catching kids before they leave the school system for good. "A lot of times we put the blame on schools, but students come to school already with a lot of problems," said Bob Ross, director of intake, parentage and family services at the Davidson County Juvenile Court. He has been involved in setting up the center. "We're trying to treat this in a more proactive, helping manner than in a punitive manner. Right now, when those (loitering) citations get sent to us, we set a court date, they pay $120 and go on. We'll try to establish more of a link among various agencies so we can work on a plan." The idea to create an attendance center came out of Mayor Karl Dean's dropout prevention initiative he launched last winter. The program will be housed in the former East Police Precinct off Trinity Lane in East Nashville. Students and their families will get on-site help from counselors and social workers from Metro police, the school district and juvenile court, and get referrals to agencies for further help. Loitering citations may be retired if families choose to get assistance, Ross said. Dean has faith in program Carol Nixon works with students who battle a variety of issues, from addictions to hunger. "School-based resources reach kids where they are," said Nixon, director of evaluation and grants for Students Taking A Right Stand, a program that helps students overcome obstacles to learning. "Of the kids who have substance abuse problems, nine out of 10 don't get the help they need. Having this centralized location, with people from different departments working together, you find out that it's not just one issue that contributes to the problem." The collaborative approach to addressing truancy is the strength of the program, Dean said. "I'm optimistic about the success of the program because when I first became mayor … one of the issues we were confronting is the way schools have been keeping or not keeping good records," he said. "Over the course of this past academic year, they really began to improve. We need to focus on truancy beginning in August and stick with it throughout the year. I think everybody's getting the message."

Dean hears teachers' ideas on schools

Davidson County Mayor Karl Dean heard from Nashville teachers Thursday about how to solve the district's problems, including the lackluster graduation rate and school truancy. Dean met with teachers at the headquarters of the Metro Nashville Education Association. Teachers used the chance to vent about overwhelming expectations, the need for more professional development and fewer experimental programs, and the lack of resources for teachers and schools. "I want you to feel I'm on your side," Dean said. "I want schools to be a priority the entire time I'm here." — JAIME SARRIOjsarrio@tennessean.com