Youth Led Victory in the Des Moines Public Schools!
By
Youth Working for Positive Change, Des Moines, Iowa Policy

Six-Day Attendance
In the winter of 2000, members of Youth Working for Positive Change (YWPC) began focusing on the 6-day attendance policy: a public school policy that states that youth will be dropped from the day program and required to attend night school or the alternative high school if they have 6 or more unexcused absences in a semester. Because of YWPC's efforts, the 6-day attendance policy became a school board election issue and forced the school district to establish a committee of youth and administration to review the policy.

The issue of the 6-day attendance policy came up in a regular YWPC meeting. YWPC had several concerns about the policy. One concern was that a student's parent cannot call the school or write a note saying that their child is ill. The student must be seen by a doctor and have a doctor's excuse in order for the absence to be considered excused. YWPC youth felt that this rule alone disproportionately affects low income families who do not always have the money to send their child to the doctor for a minor illness. In addition, youth members provided examples of instances where they asked teachers about the policy and their questions could not be answered. As a result, YWPC members felt that teachers weren't properly educated on the 6-Day Attendance Policy.

YWPC members decided it was important to actively work on the 6-day attendance policy because they felt that the policy could be increasing drop out rates and disproportionately impacting low income or minority students. YWPC members decided that they should meet with Dr. Witherspoon, the Superintendent of Schools, to discuss the 6-day attendance policy and how it could be improved.

Putting Thoughts Into Action
YWPC began planning for its meeting with the Superintendent of Schools. This included: developing specific demands for Dr. Witherspoon; creating a meeting agenda; identifying the youth leadership team for the meeting; and developing and issuing a press release.

The meeting was held on May 31, 2001. Dr. Witherspoon and Jan Johnson, head of Secondary Education, attended to represent the Des Moines Public Schools. YWPC asked the following:

1. Will you simplify the 6-Day Attendance Policy not only in English, but also in Spanish and Bosnian?ä Dr. Witherspoon responded by agreeing to simplify the policy and said that they would like to get input from youth on how understandable the simplified policy was.
2. YWPC asked if its members could be included as the youth who review the policy and Dr. Witherspoon agreed. He also suggested that they could include the English, Spanish, and Bosnian versions of the policy as an addition to the student handbook for the 2001-20002 school year.
3. YWPC asked if he would agree to educate teachers on the 6 Day Attendance Policy by holding workshops throughout this summer so that faculty will be able to inform parents and students about the policy upon request. Dr. Witherspoon agreed that they would educate teachers on the policy in August as part of the teacher meetings in preparation for the school year.
4. The youth asked if he would accept a parent's phone call or a note to excuse a student's absence? Will you do this before the 2001-2002 school year? Dr. Witherspoon said that this was a policy issue and he could not change it on his own. He agreed that the policy had been in effect for awhile and that it would make sense to review it.
5. The youth asked, ãwill you allow students to enter class up to 10 minutes late without counting the student absent?ä Dr. Witherspoon said this was also a policy issue and would be taken up when the policy was reviewed.