Mayor Unveils Plan To Fight School Absenteeism
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With school set to begin in about three weeks, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan Thursday to help New York City school children stop missing class.
The program, called "Every Student Every Day," will start by bringing mentors to 25 schools.
Each mentor will meet with their assigned students and their parents and help them get the school resources they need, such as counseling.
Bloomberg said 240,000 students miss a month or more of school each year.
"Our teachers and principals are wonderful but if the teacher doesn't come to school, they just can't do it," said the mayor. "Yes, I don't know if it's 85 percent, but I can tell you if you don't go, it's 100 percent of the problem."
The program is also trying to stop absenteeism before it starts.
Letters were sent to 5,200 chronically absent students about the importance of going to school.
Students in the program who improve their attendance will receive gifts from Office Depot and Old Navy.
The program will eventually expand citywide.