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Pilot program in DC schools is successfully keeping students in the classroom

D.C. leaders say the city’s Truancy Reduction Pilot Program is working, leading to stronger family engagement and better attendance.

According to the Mid-Year Report for Year Two, there was a 71% year‑over‑year drop in truancy among participating students.

“We are encouraged about the results because it tells us that we are onto something that works. And that’s going to impact the young people and the families that we do serve,” said Rachel Pierre, director of the D.C. Department of Human Services.

A key part of the program’s success is case management. They work with families to understand specific needs and coordinate services. Forty-seven percent of parents accepted case management services, which is up from 42% in the first year of the program in 2024. Nearly half of students in case management improved their attendance and behavior within 90 days.

“We are able to really meet the family exactly at the point that this could escalate to something bigger,” Pierre said. “If there are barriers to school attendance on a regular basis, we are here to help.”

Pierre said some examples of those barriers are a lack of childcare, not having the right uniform, bullying or simply parent awareness. She emphasized it’s critical to intervene early.

“D.C. parents, it’s important that your kids are in school,” Pierre said. “The more school days young people miss, the more they fall behind, the harder it is for them to catch up.”

There are plans to expand the Truancy Reduction Program for a third year. Ten schools currently participate, and they want to add eight more. Focusing on ninth and 10th graders would help kids stay on the right track throughout high school, Pierre said.

“The transition from middle school to high school is often when kids have a hard time adjusting. And for whatever reasons, they may be more truant,” she said. “We are excited about the possibility of scaling into additional schools next fiscal year.”

For more information about the program or to seek assistance from DHS, visit the Truancy Reduction Program’s page.

Ohio State trustees OK $100M settlement with hundreds of former students abused by doctor

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University agreed Wednesday to pay approximately $100 million to settle legal claims from hundreds of former student athletes who said they were sexually abused decades ago by a doctor at the university. The school has fought lawsuits in federal court since 2018 brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss. Strauss worked at the school from 1978 to 1998 and also ran an off-campus clinic. He died in 2005. During a meeting Wednesday, the school's Board of Trustees approved a preliminary agreement with all but one of the 280 survivors with claims still involved in pending litigation. Once finalized, the settlement could mark the end of a lengthy legal battle and close a painful chapter in the school's history. “The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes, will always be a part of our family and our community, and I firmly believe that,” the school's president, Ravi Bellamkonda, said during the meeting. “We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward, and reaching a final resolution is very important to us and is an important step forward.”
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