LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Channel 13 has been looking into the ongoing issue of student attendance in Clark County for several years.
Now— the school district is taking new steps to get students back into the classroom.
Channel 13's Shakeria Hawkins joined a CCSD attendance officer on house calls Wednesday morning, as part of the district's effort to improve attendance.
If you see a yellow tag like the one above on your door, it means your child has been missing a lot of school. It also means an attendance officer was in action, trying to deliver a heartfelt message to return to the classroom.
For six years, 30-year-old Laquann Murry, also known as officer Q, has been one of 29 Clark County School District attendance officers working to get truant students back in the classroom.
He spends his days going door to door, hoping to offer students and their families encouragement, support and resources.
If no one answers, officer Q leaves behind a yellow tag with contact information for the school.
"We've been reporting on the district's chronic absenteeism since 2019— a problem that only worsened during the pandemic," Q said.
Two years ago, CCSD launched the “Everyday Matters” campaign, changing their approach to truancy by focusing on student connections, not punishment.
Danielle Jones, Director of Education Services, said the incentive-based approach has been successful.
"We really tried to change the narrative from punitive to positive building relationships and providing resources," Jones said.
The district has seen a return on that investment. Their chronic absenteeism rate fell from nearly 27% last year to almost 24% so far this year.
We took what we were doing already and increased the resources available. We’ve even partnered with businesses who call us if students are truant during school hours, and we transport them back to school.
During Channel 13's ride-along, officer Q and Shakeria Hawkins visited six homes, but no one answered.
“Sometimes, you visit the same house multiple times, and eventually, they start coming back to school,” Q said.
Absences impact not just a student's learning, but also CCSD's budget.
According to the district's data portal, last school year, nearly 31% of all students were chronically absent for three days or more.
With each student representing at least over $7,000 in funding, chronic absenteeism, can hurt enrollment and the district's bottom line.
We’ll try our best to get them motivated to come to school. If the parent can’t be that motivator, then I will.
Officer Q said for him, it’s not about punishing a student for skipping school but rather getting them reconnected with learning.
