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Youngstown commission concerned about student attendance
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
With student attendance still missing the mark at most Youngstown City Schools, the commission appointed to guide the district out of academic difficulty wants more information about how truancy is addressed.
At a meeting Thursday, members of the Youngstown City School District Academic Distress Commission said they want to hear from the district’s truant officer. It was the first with new appointees the Rev. Kenneth Simon of New Bethel Baptist Church and Atty. Ronald Miller.
A chart presented by Douglas Hiscox, deputy superintendent for academic affairs, shows that only Discovery at Kirkmere, Rayen Early College Middle School, Chaney, Youngstown Early College and Programs of Promise at Wilson met the attendance goal for their respective school in January and February. Those goals are 95 percent for elementary schools, 94 percent for middle schools, 92 percent for high schools and 85 percent for alternative schools.
Hiscox said district personnel make phone calls daily to parents of absent students. Only one person, however, makes home visits.
Chronic absences are addressed first with a letter to the child’s home, then home visits and then the issue, if not resolved, may be referred to juvenile court.
The Rev. Mr. Simon asked if the district needs more manpower.
The truant officer “could use some help knocking on doors,” Hiscox said. “Finding parents or guardians to be able to talk to them, that takes some legwork.”
Joffrey Jones, commission chairman, said he’d like to hear from the truant officer at next month’s meeting to learn about the challenges.
“In the district I come from, often we found that people who were absent had all but disappeared from the district,” he said.
Michael Garvey, commission member, worried that waiting until next month’s meeting is too long.
“I believe we ought to be addressing this with a sense of urgency,” he said.
Jones said the issue would be discussed more in the weekly telephone conference among he, Superintendent Connie Hathorn and Ohio Department of Education representatives.
Contributing to low attendance is the number of suspensions with insubordination and fighting leading the list of infractions.
Hiscox said he’s seen an increase in fighting in the past few months. The fights typically occur in the hallways or cafeteria, usually about lunch time or shortly before the end of the school day.
Often it’s a skirmish that begins on social media or via text-messaging, Hiscox said.
Mr. Simon said improved monitoring in the hallways could help. He said that the clergy community and church parishioners would be willing to help if asked.
Miller also asked about peer mediation, which at one time was used in the district.
Hiscox said it hasn’t been in place since he’s been with the district although Taft Elementary School began a student-initiated peer court a few months ago.
In other business, Paul Williams, commission member, said he’s upset the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Manufacturing, Energy and Entrepreneurship Academy will open this fall at Youngstown State University.
The academy will be housed in Phelps Hall at YSU and was initiated by the Mahoning County Educational Service Center and partner districts that include Austintown, Poland, Struthers, Canfield and Jackson-Milton.
“I’m very upset about this,” Williams said. “For another ESC to steal students from Youngstown is unconscionable. ... I’m angry. They ought to go to church and learn the 10 Commandments.”
Contacted after the meeting, Ron Iarussi, MCESC superintendent, said the intent of the program isn’t to steal students.
“This offers the opportunity for students in this program to be able to have the choice to come back to their districts because it’s only a grades nine and 10 academy,” he said. “We’ve had numerous conversations with Youngstown about how we can collaborate together and make sure we’re providing as many programs for students in the rest of the county [and state] as Youngstown is providing for its students.”