Local
Anti-Truancy Program To Work With Small Businesses
By Janice Chan
Sep 5, 2010 - 1:59:07 AM

Photo Courtesy of Facebook

SAN FRANCISCO—On August 24, Mayor Newsom was joined by Superintendent Carlos Garcia, and the Vice President of the Board of Education Hydra Mendoza to debut the city’s new anti-truancy campaign to fight truancy among students.

The partnership will work with local businesses to promote the new program as well as keep a watchful eye in the community. Small businesses in the Mission District will be the first to be a part of the program but will soon expand to small businesses across San Francisco.

Along with the new program, a new drop in center the SF Truancy Assessment and Resource (TARC) center has opened, situated at 44 Gough St. to help students who are in need of guidance, resources and support in order to get back to school and on the right track. Funding for the new center was made possible by a collaboration between the Urban Service YMCA; Huckleberry Youth Services; the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF); the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD); SF Juvenile Probation Department (SFJPD); the San Francisco Police Department; and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

The new center will be staffed by counselors and case managers from within the city who will work to help each student find resources, and help both parents and students to be a part of the education process.

In a press release, Mayor Newsom spoke of the importance of preventing truancy among students noting that, "Combating truancy and chronic absences through an aggressive, focused and coordinated effort must be our shared priority this school year.”

Facts that were provided by the city indicate that things are looking up with 4,500 fewer days of class skipped by students in the San Francisco Unified School District in high school. Truancy in elementary school students also improved by 17 percent, totaling to 33 percent over the last two years.

Small businesses taking part in the TARC program will place signage on their windows promoting students to stay in school. The signs will also help other customers to remember that students should be at school during school hours. Those who suspect that children and teens are skipping school are asked to call the San Francisco Police at 415-553-0123.

To obtain more information on TARC and their policies please visit http://policysf.org/?page_id=1099