Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has announced a new initiative aimed at reducing truancy among state students.
The new program, part of the governor's juvenile justice reform efforts, will provide early intervention services to keep kids in the classroom and provide them with individualized attention to get them back on track, the Gazette-Mail's Charlotte Ferrell Smith reported.
County boards of education can apply for funding for a truancy division officer through the state Department of Education. Some counties already have those specialists in place and are reporting success.
About $2 million is available from the state to fund the Truancy Division Initiative.
"Several years ago, the court began to contract with individual county boards of education to provide school-based probation officers to put a dent in the truancy rate," said West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman. "This strategy has been dramatically effective in a number of counties. So we're very pleased that the governor and the legislature worked together to expand this practice into all of the counties, and we at the court are eager to continue to do our part to keep kids in school."
A bill Tomblin signed earlier this year increases the number of allowed unexcused absences from five days to 10. Kids who missed five days or more because of illness, family issues or other things beyond their control were often referred to the court system. Tomblin's juvenile justice reform initiative works to reduce the number of kids referred to the court system and instead focuses on community- or home-based services.
When a child misses even a single day of school, he or she misses something valuable. Supporters of House Bill 2550 say the state is experiencing a truancy crisis, and sending kids to court for missing school decreases their chances of succeeding in the classroom, making them more likely to drop out before earning a diploma.
West Virginia, perhaps more than any other state, needs a strong, thriving work force. We can't have that if our kids miss too much school and don't obtain the valuable knowledge and skill that could earn them a stable, well-paying job here in West Virginia.
Not only do kids benefit from receiving an education, the economy wins as well. Here's to hoping Tomblin's truancy initiative is a success and the state soon reaps the benefits of a strong, educated work force.