New Haven Mayor Toni Harp is holding a press conference on Tuesday to unveil a new plan to target truancy in schools in the Elm City. Below is a press release from the mayor’s office about the new effort to reduce truancy:
“Mayor Toni N. Harp will address public school attendance, truancy, and high school graduation rates while she helps New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Garth Harries, Judge Paul Knierim, Probate Court Administrator for Connecticut, members of the General Assembly, officials of the state Department of Children and Families (DCF), and New Haven public school administrators launch an Attendance and Engagement Clinic for two New Haven schools.
This truancy mitigation effort is a collaboration among New Haven Public Schools and the state’s Probate Court system, and more specifically the New Haven Regional Children’s Probate Court. This proactive, stay-in-school initiative uses a graduated series of family caregiver notifications, home visits, and referrals as necessary to curb chronic absenteeism and truancy.
The launch of this New Haven-specific project is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 28th at the Strong School in New Haven at 130 Orchard Street. Off-street parking is available at the adjacent Career High School. Members of the press are invited and encouraged to cover this event.
A Program Statement prepared by New Haven Public Schools reads, in part: “We have learned from other communities that, in extreme cases, hard-to-reach parents respond positively to meetings with and guidance from a knowledgeable and effective community leader – in this case, a probate judge accustomed to working with families and children.”
● Who: New Haven Mayor Toni N. Harp, NHPS Superintendent Garth Harries, Judge Paul Knierim, Probate Court Administrator, legislators, DCF officials, and local school administrators.
● What: Description and launch of the New Haven Regional Probate Court’s Attendance and Engagement Clinic, a truancy mitigation initiative.
● When: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 10:00 a.m.
● Where: The Strong School, 130 Orchard Street, New Haven.
● Why: To ensure families and caregivers of chronically absent public school students are given every opportunity to keep New Haven children in school.”