In a battle against North High School’s rising truancy rates, parents, teachers and counselors took to the streets Saturday in the second “Neighborhood Walk Campaign.”
Going door-to-door, the group’s members sought out students to encourage them to return to school.
The overall truancy and absentee rate has increased to 21 percent, according to school officials.
“We certainly have a lot of work to do,” said North High School principal JoAnn Trujillo-Hays. “We recognize the urgency.”
The campaign, designed to get kids back in school, was the second one held this month.
It was organized by the Padres Unidos, a nonprofit parent-advocacy group that collaborated with North High staff to meet with students whose names appeared on “habitual” tardy or absentee lists.
“We want them to know that North cares,” said Mavis Cain, a school counselor.
Pairs of volunteers walked to the homes of students in the surrounding neighborhood. They passed out information about Padres Unidos and school programs designed to get students back on course.
For example, students were told about Credit Recovery, a Saturday and after-school program to help students make up missing credits. There was also information about tutoring programs.
One stop was at the home of a student who said he left school because he has to work to help his family.
“That’s an honorable thing, a deep family value,” said Pam Martinez, co-director of Padres Unidos. “But it’s important they know that they have to finish school and that there are other options.”
North High student Ashante Rodriguez, 16, who was visited, said she wants to study accounting at a university in New York and promised she would return to school.
“I want to make something of my life,” Rodriguez said. “I want to go to college.”
Martinez paired up on the walk with school volunteer Marcos Rayas.
Before noon Saturday they had visited a dozen homes and had spoken to families in English or Spanish and gathered contact information from them for follow-up visits.
“We should do be doing this all year so everyone can return to school,” Martinez said.
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
