Rochester schools superintendent Bolgen Vargas’s goal was 95 percent attendance on the first day of school. In the weeks leading up to opening day, Vargas sounded upbeat and confident that city students and parents would meet the challenge. But the district fell short. First day attendance was about 83 percent overall. Only two schools – […]
truancy
Posted inNews & Opinion
Praising attendance, appealing suspensions
Rochester schools Superintendent Bolgen Vargas has adopted another strategy to address the problem of chronic truancy in the district: recognizing students who are models of good attendance. Vargas and Mayor Tom Richards personally visited the homes of four district families, chosen because those students and their siblings had exceptional attendance records in schools where attendance […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Mayor has to win over Council on truancy effort
There were a few oddly intimate moments during yesterday’s City Council committee meetings. Council has to decide whether it’s willing to chip in $15,000 for a new, cooperative truancy effort with the Rochester school district and the United Way. Mayor Tom Richards supports the program, but had a tough time convincing two of the three […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Unprecedented effort to fight truancy
Before the Rochester school district could launch its new crackdown on chronic truancy, school officials had to clean up their attendance records and draft a detailed plan of attack. Earlier efforts were stymied by faulty data, missteps, and a lack of coordination and follow-up. But officials say that this time they are better prepared to […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Truancy crackdown gaining steam
Rochester Mayor Tom Richards is proposing that the city kick-in $15,000 to support the school district’s new initiative to battle chronic truancy. That would be matched by $15,000 from the school district, and $10,000 from United Way. City Council will begin vetting the proposal next week. Poor attendance and high truancy rates are widely believed […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Vargas resumes attendance battle
About 40 Rochester school district and city officials, including Mayor Tom Richards, fanned out in city neighborhoods this morning, searching for absentee students. In groups of two and three, they knocked on doors in search of about 120 students who have missed 10 to 20 days this school year, said Patricia Malgieri, the district’s chief […]
Posted inNews & Opinion
Week ahead: Votes on indigent burial, cops in truancy program
When the County Legislature’s Agenda/Charter Committee meets this afternoon, it’ll take up a Democratic referral regarding indigent burials. The Democratic proposal would require the county to provide a permanent marker for anyone buried through the county’s burial assistance program. The marker would contain the deceased’s name, date of birth, and date of death. The legislation […]
