Greensburg Salem consultant tackles truancy; survey notes concern for bullying, substance abuse

Greensburg Salem School District is using a consultant to curb high school truancy.

School officials also release results of a survey of families that revealed mixed feelings from parents about the district.

Statistics indicate just under 76% of students at the high school had regular attendance during the 2021-22 school year, compared to the state average of a little more than 82%.

So far this school year, 115 (or about 17%) of the 661 students at the school who are younger than 18 have had six or more unlawful absences.

The consultant, Communities In Schools of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County, has been tasked with working with students and families to help resolve issues that may be keeping the students out of the classroom.

During its first month working at the high school, it has communicated with 14 families, district Superintendent Ken Bissell said.

Christina Hayden, a family case manager with CIS, has been assigned to the high school, meeting individually with identified students during an activity period.

“She’s having teens referred to her, building a case list of students who are experiencing truancy or habitual absenteeism and working with them,” said Bryan McCarthy, Westmoreland County program manager for CIS.

Heather Lake, a family and community engagement specialist, has been on board at the district for about three months.

McCarthy said Lake’s role is to connect families with community resources, “identifying what is preventing that student from showing up each day and working to overcome whatever the obstacles may be.”

In its previous work in Allegheny County, CIS has provided everything from mentoring for students to connecting families with resources for finding stable housing.

As part of a grant program through the Richard King Mellon Foundation, CIS is expanding into Westmoreland County, placing attendance specialists in the Greensburg Salem, Burrell and New Kensington-Arnold districts and at the Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center.

McCarthy said CIS can work with younger siblings of referred high school students and may expand its services to other Greensburg Salem schools based on the district’s needs.

He said the company wants to provide services for other school districts in the county and region. “We want to expand in any way we can so we can reach as many families as possible,” he said.

Opinions mixed

A little more than 100 people responded to a recent survey the district conducted to help CIS “mold and gear what they’re going to do for our families and our students,” said Adam Jones, high school co-principal.

“I think we got a pretty good cross section, but I would have loved to see more than 103 families respond.”

A summary of survey results released by Bissell reveals mixed opinions about the district among responding parents.

The largest number of those who responded indicated they believe their student’s school is “a friendly place overall” that “takes effective measures to ensure school safety,” but they don’t think physical fighting among students is a big problem.

But large numbers of parents also expressed concern about bullying — at school, online and in the community — and about substance abuse in school and the community. Somewhat fewer respondents indicated their school helps them “figure out what social and emotional skills my child needs to develop” compared to those who disagreed with that statement.

A majority of parents responding to the survey said their school “encourages me to be an active partner in educating my child,” but a markedly smaller number indicated they volunteer at school.

When asked to pick the three biggest issues at the school their kids attend, from among 16 possibilities, 32 respondents cited teaching quality, 30 listed experiential learning, 27 selected technology and 24 each chose mentorships and safety and anti-violence measures.

In addition to guiding the CIS efforts, Bissell said the district will weigh the survey results as it considers “how we will provide and target future parent and family engagement activities in our schools.”

Greensburg Salem, like other districts, often fell back on virtual home lessons for students after the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic — and related health restrictions on gatherings — early in 2020.

Of those responding to the survey, 65 indicated the pandemic had very little effect on their mental health, compared to 33 who said it had a “somewhat negative” impact.

Related:

• As chronic absenteeism rises in schools, officials search for ways to entice students to stay in the classroom

• Truancy can carry legal penalties, affect the ability to get a job

• Mellon Foundation bolsters effort to address chronic absenteeism in region's schools