The New Orleans school district is launching a new attendance strike force that will step in when schools try repeatedly but fail to get frequently absent students to show up, officials said Tuesday.
After interventions at the school level come up short, schools will be able to refer students to a new district “Attendance Hearing Office” that will develop personalized attendance-improvement plans for students who are chronically absent.
The plans will try to address barriers to school attendance, such as a lack of transportation or frequent doctor’s office visits, and set goals for improving attendance. If those efforts fail, then the team could refer parents of truant students to the court system…