In an attempt to save money, the New York Department of Education canceled a program geared to get truant students back to class, according to the Daily News.
Started in 1998 in Brooklyn, the Truancy Reduction Alliance to Contact Kids consists of centers where education personnel, police, prosecutors and staff are responsible for accessing confidential student records to locate parents of truant children. However, now that the Education Department has chosen to take their personnel from the centers, it is unclear if the centers can remain open.
Department officials say the removal of officials will save $1.4 million. They also say truancy can be curbed without the program, adding that working with principals to cut truancy at the school level has been the most successful approach.
Prosecutors in favor of the centers claim that more than 14,000 students came through 12 of the 15 centers.
In addition, they say the centers encourage parents to pick up their children and learn about their children’s attendance records.
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