SANTA PAULA : School Gets $5,000 to Help Truants
Santa Paula Union High School has received a $5,000 state matching grant to offer help to students who cut class.
The money, awarded under the Safe Schools program, allowed the district to hire a full-time teacher to run a study hall where students can receive individual help with study skills and other problems, Dax Bryson, assistant principal, said. The school psychologist, county resource specialists, community members, parents and police officers will work one-on-one with students who are at risk of dropping out of school, Bryson said.
Police officers, who are part of the Safe Schools program, round up truant students and return them to the study hall. The district plans in February to change a policy that allows students to leave campus at lunch and breaks, Bryson said.
“I think it will help a lot,” he said.
The school was one of 100 statewide to receive the funds out of 260 that applied, Rich Morrison of the county superintendent of schools office, said. The school also will contribute $5,000 from its general fund.
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