LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Attendance officers in the Clark County School District have already made thousands of home visits, less than one month into the new school year.
First, district officials say those officers focused on the 20,000 students who were enrolled at the start of the school year, but never showed up.
“That could be anything from, they decided to go to a charter school, private school, moved out of state,” CCSD’s Coordinator of Attendance Enforcement, Mollie Fulwider, says.
Now, attendance officers are focused on tracking down students who have three or more unexcused absences already this year.
FOX5 rode along with veteran attendance officer Edgar Thomas, who serves about 12 schools in North Las Vegas.
It’s an area he says he knows well because he grew up there. He doesn’t need a GPS to get around.
“I like to be nice and polite to my parents. I’m not there to argue with anybody, I’m not there to fuss. I’m there to just do a simple investigation,” Thomas says.
For one of his first stops of the day, he visits a household of a student that already has eight unexcused absences. His goal is to figure out why she’s missing school, and offer resources to get her back into class.
The parent who answers the door says that’s because they’ve had a death in the family.
“I understand it, but I will say this, you can do this. I see the tears, you’re going to be okay,” Thomas tells her.
Although Thomas’s goal is to get students back in school, he has a passion for connecting with families in the district.
“I believe in capturing hearts and building relationships,” he says.
Thomas is one of around 60 attendance officers throughout CCSD. All together, district officials say they’ve made 3,000 home visits this year alone.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
