School Attendance
School attendance has a tremendous impact on student learning and social connections. Students who miss a significant portion of school may struggle to reach early learning milestones. Furthermore, their likelihood of dropping out of high school can increase significantly.
Students who are chronically absent are the most at risk. Students are considered chronically absent if they are absent for 10 percent or more of the school days they are expected to attend. Nationwide, more than 20 percent of students in high school were chronically absent during the 2015-2016 school year. The same year, 14 percent of students in middle school and nearly 14 percent of children in elementary school were chronically absent.
There are many reasons students may be chronically absent, and Reach Higher Shasta is working diligently to address the underlying issues that can contribute to students’ attendance.
Community Connect
Sometimes, simply getting to school is a challenge. Students and their families may not have access to reliable transportation, or a student or a family member may be experiencing a mental health issue. Perhaps the student does not have clothing for school.
In order to support Shasta County students , Shasta County Office of Education has implemented Community Connect. Educators and administrators refer chronically absent students to Community Connect. Community Connect an extension of Help Me Grow, connects students and their families to resources and community organizations. These community organizations help students with basic needs, mental health resources, and much more. Reach Higher Shasta proudly contributes to Community Connect. As of December 2020, Community connect has received over 249 referrals and directly assisted 61 families.
To learn more about Help Me Grow, contact HelpMeGrow@scoe.org.
Attend to Achieve Campaign
The Attend to Achieve Campaign is currently on hold due to COVID-19.