Truancy by Mobile County Public School students fell by 50% over the last year, according to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office. Local officials said the reinstatement of a longtime support program originally created in Mobile, the Helping Families Initiative, helped address chronic absenteeism and truancy. “As educators, we recognize that attendance is one of the most important factors in a student’s success,” Superintendent Chreshal Threadgill said in a rare public appearance. “We do all that we can to encourage students to be present, however, we must also rely upon our parents and the community to make sure children are in class every day.”
