The efforts to help Duval County students show up to class every day continue in the River City.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan visited Andrew A. Robinson Elementary School Monday morning.
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Deegan participated in a roundtable with City Year Student Success Coaches, visited classrooms, and attended a “Show Up to Shine” celebration for students with perfect attendance records.
“Show Up to Shine” was launched in August and since then they’ve worked to create partnerships, bringing together the school district, nonprofits, the justice system, faith-based organizations, and more to make sure families understand the gravity and impacts of the students missing class.
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One of those partnerships is with City Year, an education nonprofit.
“When we connected with Show Up To Shine, it just made sense,” Allishia Bauman, senior vice president and executive director for City Year Jacksonville, said.
City Year places 18-to-25-year-olds in local schools all day long and they serve as mentors and tutors full time.
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“I think at the end of the day, what you create is stronger young people and stronger young adults,” Deegan said.
The problem of chronic absenteeism is something the Deegan said has become a big challenge, especially since COVID-19.
“We had a lot of kids that started staying home out of necessity and then just didn’t come back and it’s going to take a while to turn that wheel,” Deegan said.
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A student is considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of days in a school year, excused or unexcused.
Last school year, 41.9% percent of students in Duval County were chronically absent.
The mayor said by the end of this school year, they will have a better opportunity to analyze how well this initiative is doing.
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