QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL: ACT's School Attendance Centers Wildly Successful

Since the opening of the School Attendance Center on October 10^th, more than 200 truant students have been provided with support.  Volunteers from local community organizations, partnering with school district personnel, met with students and parents; of those 200 students, 61% have since been attending school on a daily basis!

The center, conceived by concerned Hmong parents and located at Luther Burbank High School, represents a working partnership among ACT, the Sacramento City Unified School District, city law enforcement, county social services, and involved community organizations.   Thus far, Another Choice Another Chance (ACAC), Lamercie Youth Services, Inc., La Familia and the Center for Fathers and Families have provided important support services;  Hmong Organizing for Change/South continues to look for additional partners to complement the work currently underway at the Florin Road site.

Students served by the center have come from all levels of the school system (high school, middle, and elementary), and from multiple ethnic groups. Other school districts, viewing the success of the center, have expressed interest in starting centers of their own.  Expanding the number of locations, while insuring their long-term survival, will require  new financial and personal commitments from the Sacramento community.