Morgan County D.A. Scott Anderson wants to introduce "The Helping Families Initiative" to Morgan County Schools.
The Morgan County District Attorney's Office wants to crack down on truancy in another North Alabama school district.
District Attorney Scott Anderson hopes leaders will adopt The Helping Families Initiative in Morgan County Schools.
The program works with 23 local agencies and organizations to get students back in the classroom.
Anderson shared several stories of success after he introduced the initiative to Decatur City Schools last year.
“We had an honor student, who all of a sudden, her grades just plummeted,†Anderson said. “She got in trouble, she got suspended and so she was referred to us. Her mother was deceased, her dad worked and…he could not get her to go to school.â€
Anderson said his team was able to get the young woman into therapy and then help her catch up on schoolwork.
According to Anderson, the HFI Program is voluntary and parents do not have to participate.
The Morgan County Board of Education plans to discuss and potentially vote on implementing the program at the next meeting on Sept. 5.
Once a student reaches three unexcused absences, the school district will provide Anderson's office with the student's name, their guardians and their address. His office will send a letter to the student’s address to offer assistance and remind the guardians of their obligation to make sure their child is attending school. Â
After the fifth unexcused absence, the student will go to court and their parents are subject to being prosecuted for truancy by a juvenile court judge.Â
