Your Choice, Your Future...
Which path and stepping stone will you choose?
Touch a child's life today & make a difference for a lifetime, one child at a time. Korinna Barth
Improving attendance by decreasing truancy and reconnecting students who have excessive absences continues to be a goal of Tacoma Public Schools. The district’s truancy prevention program is an attendance accountability program, which helps to retrieve and reconnect truant students, reduce juvenile crime, identify resources for truant youth and reaffirm for families the importance of education in the progress and success of young adults.
The district will continue its collaboration with City of Tacoma, Tacoma Police Department, services in the community, Positive Steps and the Pierce County Juvenile Court to help truant students stay in school. There are proven results that (1) students who attend school on a regular basis are more successful both during their formal school involvement and after they graduate and move onto higher education and/or careers and (2) juvenile crimes in the community are reduced when fewer students are truant.
School attendance is mandated by law. Students who are found off school property during school hours are subject to state truancy laws.The following procedures will be implemented when a student is found in violation of the truancy laws:
- Truant students contacted by the Truancy Services Facilitator, Tacoma Police Officers or school district security officers who lack adequate written permission to be off school property will be transported back to school and released to an administrator.
- The Truancy Services Facilitator Korinna Barth, a Police Officer or district school security officers will initiate a Truancy Violation Report.
- Building administrator(s) will be given copies of the violation report, which contains personal information about the student, time and location of where the student was contacted.
- The Truancy Services Facilitator, Korinna Barth will connect with the students at school, and/or the families to provide appropriate services to assist with interventions regarding truancy.
- The school administrator will indicate on the violation report the disciplinary action taken for truancy and fax (253-571-1086) or send a copy to Korinna Barth, Truancy Services Facilitator, within two (2) school days.
- Students will be referred/recommended for counseling and/or mentoring upon assessment of truancy with parental consent.
- Parents may call Truancy Services Facilitator Korinna Barth for assistance with getting a child to school who is resistant by calling her cell 253-579-5167 to have a police officer assist. Please remember that the response time on this is in the order received and provided there are no other emergency situations requiring immediate attention. We will do the best that we can to provide prompt service and are here to support you as parents in your efforts to get children to school.
Please remind your child/children that Tacoma Public Schools has a districtwide Closed Campus Policy with the exception of the School of the Arts (SOTA).
This means:
- Students should be in school on time. If your child/children leaves home late, please provide him/her with a note that can be verified by telephone.
- Students who need to leave school grounds during the school day are required to check out through the main office. This includes students going home sick or having medical appointments during the school day.
- Students must have a pass, note or special program card to be off campus during school hours.
- Students who regularly have late arrival, early dismissal or participate in diversified occupations should have a special program card to carry and produce with their school identification, that verifies their altered schedule.
Did you know?......
Truancy isn't just about missing school, but about intervention to resolve the obstacles that are preventing a student from attending school.
What do these obstacles look like?
- Lack of school supplies, but too embarrassed to ask for help.
- Lack of school clothes, but too embarrassed for anyone to know.
- Runaways.
- Parenting difficulties.
- Homelessness.
- Difficulties with classes, but too embarrassed to say anything.
- Power or water shut off.
- No transportation to school.
There is help. We can connect you to community services to get your child and family back on track with their difficulties.