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Local collaborative helping kids turn around truancy

Skipping school, do you picture a teenager who ditches class to avoid schoolwork? Maybe he or she just needs some discipline or motivation to get back into class?

It turns out that truancy might just be the tip of a bigger problem.

That is what a local collaborative is learning in its first year of work to study truancy. The project is being spearheaded by La Plata Youth Services, Durango School District 9-R and Bayfield 10 Jt-R. They are seeking the underlying causes of truancy and looking for solutions to keep kids in school.

The first revelation for the group was that truancy starts early. By looking beyond just high school students, they were able to discover that the tendency for a student to have excessive absences begins in kindergarten. This suggested there can be some sort of parental influence when truant behavior develops.

The second revelation was that the underlying reasons for absences often were complex and serious. Therefore, project leaders invited mental-health staff, social services workers, Ignacio School District representatives, law enforcement and the courts to join the group that examines specific truancy cases and searches for solutions. This group found that a significant number of cases involved unresolved mental-health concerns of students and/or family members. Additionally, other reasons for students missing school included language barriers, lack of basic needs (e.g. housing, clothing, food) and lack of transportation.

The group works on finding solutions to each case, so these kids can get the education they need. The beauty of the collaboration is that when one organization is unable to help, there often is another that has the right resources or flexibility to improve the situation. The group has helped connect families to resources (food, counseling, housing, clothing, school supplies, etc.) so these kids can get to school and have an opportunity to be successful.

The good news is that this group is having success. Out of more than 100 cases of chronic truancy they reviewed, only one case was brought to the courts in an effort to have the parents bring the kids to school. In all of the other cases, the group was able to start tackling the problems behind the truancy, ultimately bringing kids back to school and helping families in many ways.

At a recent class of Leadership 9R (a program for community members to learn about schools), we heard about this work and were impressed by the many nonprofits that step up to help provide care and basic needs for these families. One participant remarked that we need to get the word out, so we can support these nonprofits that provide services to our schools and community for little or no cost. When you donate to United Way, you support La Plata Youth Services and many other organizations that help reduce truancy and help with numerous other issues.

Please give to help maintain this successful collaborative work that benefits all of us. Thank you for Living United. Unitedway-swco.org.

Lynn Urban is president and chief executive officer of United Way of Southwest Colorado.



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