Simply being at school leads to better student performance and education.
At least that's the case in Elmore County and Tallassee schools where administrators and teachers have been working for the last few years to battle chronic absenteeism and truancy. Elmore County and Tallassee City schools have seen more than 20% of students classified as chronically absent meaning they had missed 18 school days or more. That is 10% of the school year. Elmore County Schools superintendent Richard Dennis likens it to adults missing parts of a movie.
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Cliff Williams / TPI Elmore County District Court Judge Ben Baxley, right, speaks about how the juvenile courts have been used to improve truancy in the county.
Cliff Williams 334-740-1116
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Cliff Williams / TPI Southside Middle School principal Brittany Spencer said her school used incentives to improve attendance at the school. She said a school of just over 400 students went from 121 students missing 18 or more days of school two years ago to 50 to just 19 this year.
Cliff Williams 334-740-1116
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