Vernon Schools Joining a National Attendance Campaign

As school begins today, education officials have jumped onto a national campaign to increase attendance in schools.

As part of the All America City Grant Program, the local school system received an invitation to participate in the "Make Everyday Count - Call to Action" initiative sponsored by the Campaign For Grade-Level Reading and Attendance Works.

It is part of a national movement to have all students reading at grade level by the third grade. 

"The goal is to have 95 percent of the students in our schools every day," Superintendent of Schools Mary Conway told the Board of Education on Monday.

Signs have been made up to encourage young people to get up in the morning and head to school. Conway said she placed on on her lawn, it was removed by an intruder and she put another one in its place.

Conway said the goal is to not only make attendance a priority in academic circles, but throughout the community.

"We want to make it a civic priority," she said. "If someone see s child who is not on school, we want people to stoop and ask, 'why not?'"

More local initiatives to promote attendance will be announced as the school year progresses, Conway said.