For the past few years, the Green River Area Development District has partnered with local schools to address truancy among students. GRADD reported a 91 percent success rate for the 2020-2021 school year, indicating that only a handful of the families served were referred to child protective services.
In 2018, GRADD was awarded a grant to help address educational neglect in children aged 5 to 11. The grant was designed to help overcome obstacles and prevent referrals to Child Protective Services when a child has been habitually truant.
For the 2018-2019 academic year, the program was launched in Meadow Lands and Burns elementary schools (Daviess County Public Schools) and Estes Elementary (Owensboro Public Schools). Since that time, the program has expanded to include all DCPS elementary schools, three OPS elementary schools, and McLean County Public Schools elementary schools.
When a child is at risk for referral to CPS for educational neglect, a Parent Engagement Meeting (PEM) is arranged with the parent, school personnel, CPS representative, and a PEM facilitator. During this meeting, obstacles to attendance are identified, as well as available resources to help overcome those obstacles. An agreed-upon plan is established to prevent further truancy.
“Families can face several obstacles that lead to chronic absences and tardiness, with parents feeling overwhelmed by multiple stressors and unaware of support systems and resources available to them,” said Kristy James, a GRADD employee serving as a PEM facilitator. “The Parent Engagement Meeting assures the parent they have a team available to help with their child’s best interest in mind.”
James said in the previous two school years, which faced unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Parent Engagement Meetings provided a vital link to improve educational outcomes for area children.
