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Communities in Schools site coordinators credit program with big drop in chronic absenteeism at primary schools
Summary
Presenters said Communities in Schools (CIS) site coordinators helped lower chronic absenteeism at participating primary schools from about 34.17% to roughly 19.5% and described programs addressing food insecurity, family engagement and attendance outreach.
Site coordinators for Communities in Schools (CIS) told the Harrison County Board of Education on May 6 that the program’s campus-based work has driven measurable attendance improvements and provided wraparound services for families.
"When we got there, I mean, it was 34 34.17 percent. Just working with the support team and admin ... we went from 34.17 percent chronic absenteeism in school to 19.5 up to date this year," said Larry McKinney, who works at Niagara Primary and spoke about attendance gains after CIS staff began targeted outreach. Presenters credited relationship-building with families, partnerships with churches and direct basic-needs assistance for the change.
Marissa Shambholtz, identified as a Communities in Schools site coordinator at Washington Irving Hills, described a new Crock Pot Creations program that teaches ten students affordable meal preparation in partnership with First United Methodist Church. Angie Carbelli and other CIS staff recounted outreach examples that included home visits and food box deliveries that led to families accepting services and, in one case, connecting a parent to treatment resources.
The coordinators also described in-school supports: daily greeting and engagement by a program dog named Eli, mentoring and targeted attendance outreach. Coordinators said they work with administrators and school support teams to set yearly goals (attendance, behavior or academics) and that CIS complements district initiatives rather than replacing school staff duties.
Presenters asked the board to note program results and highlighted an upcoming media feature by WBOY that will showcase CIS activities at county sites. No vote or new funding action was requested during the presentation.
