LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The newly formed Southern Nevada Family Engagement Center will debut a new website on Tuesday morning to provide resources for the various obstacles causing student absenteeism in Clark County.
The new website — nvfamily.org — will provide students and families with tools and information on chronic absenteeism, including how to address fear and anxiety, as well as how attendance works.
"Everything that is here is the first step... There is a lot of great information that has come together to support our students," said Jone Ebert, Superintendent of Public Instruction. " Counseling, medical health, all the community support that is available to our students and our families. Sometimes it's not just the child that needs additional support sometimes it's the entire family."
According to the coalition, absenteeism throughout the school district "more than doubled" following the COVID-19 pandemic. This left many students "susceptible to falling behind in class and decreasing student access to wraparound services," such as food assistance and tutoring.
"There are so many reasons why students don't come to school. Sometimes it's a lack of transportation, sometimes kids get into bad habits when learning from home, some students are experiencing homelessness, there's a wide variety of reasons," said Kristen Searer, President of the Public Education Foundation.
Nevada Department of Education's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jhone Ebert, and CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus Jara were among those expected to speak at the event. However, Dr. Jara was absent from the event.
Meantime, a CCSD parent we spoke with said the website is a great first step to help curb the escalating trend.
" I think it's going to help. I don't know if it is going to make a big difference but it's a step in the right direction," said Lashell Johnson.
But she also said it's parents who play an important role in stopping callouts.
"The key is the parents. If we don't have the parent's actions and doing that thing, then the website or you coming in and sitting with them will not work," added Johnson.
Organizations have been working together over the past year to address this critical issue facing our schools, including the Clark County School District, the Nevada Department of Education, the Public Education Foundation, 100 Black Men Las Vegas, Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, Boys Town Nevada, CHARISMA Lab at UNLV, Communities in Schools Nevada, DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, Family Promise of Las Vegas, Green Our Planet, Nevada PEP, Nevada PTA, Spread The Word Nevada, Teach for America, The Children’s Cabinet, and Vegas PBS.
