OKLAHOMA CITY — Addressing student absenteeism will take two things, school district and court officials said Wednesday: money and manpower.
Speakers at an interim study at the state Capitol agreed Oklahoma could help improve school attendance by funding more full-time staff dedicated to meeting with families and connecting them to resources, overseeing court diversion programs and prosecuting truancy cases.
Oklahoma House lawmakers held the study to examine how certain schools, district attorneys and court systems tackle truancy and chronic absenteeism amid a rise in rates nationwide…