Group battles truancy problem

Battling past truancy problems, Mount Moriah Baptist Church members went door-to-door Saturday to spread the word about Charleston County's Aug. 19 school start.

Members gathered at the church on Rivers Avenue at 9 a.m. before car pooling to a community center on Sumner Avenue. Five youths and three church leaders then walked through the Charleston Farms neighborhood, distributing notices to parents about getting their child ready and in school for the first day.

The group was accompanied by North Charleston police officers, who are teaming up with the church and other Lowcountry ministers in a campaign known as "It's cool to be in school."

Last year, more than 3,500 Charleston County students were absent on the first day of school. Minister Timothy Grant is hoping that number will decrease dramatically this coming school year. The first day of school for Charleston County School District students is Aug. 19.

"I heard the numbers were really high for kids who did not go to school that first week," he said. "Hopefully this will be a way to get students in school on the first day."

The combined effort targeted the North Charleston area because of strong truancy rates from the previous year. There were 1,225 students who didn't attend school during the first 10 days of the 2007-08 school year, according to statistics provided by the school district.

The number was 13 percent of the student population in the North Charleston area that includes 23 schools.

Terrence Brown, a junior at Stratford High School and Mount Moriah member, said the experience was rewarding in helping the community with such an important issue. Parents and their children have a responsibility to take school seriously and attend that first day, he said.

"It's easy for some students to not do something they don't want to, and a lot of teenagers don't want to go to school," he said.

The fliers included information on how to register a child, bus routes, school meals, school supplies and contact information for the county's office.

Mount Moriah and Inner City Ministries also will distribute free school supplies on Aug. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon. Parents will need to bring their children in order to receive supplies and backpacks.

The door-to-door practice may have discouraged residents who dislike solicitation, but the responses were ultimately well-received, Grant said.

"I think initially it's kind of a shock because people don't like solicitation, but when people hear that we're passing out school information, they lighten up," Grant said. "When they hear that we're out here for the Charleston County School District and the police department, they're more responsive."

The church's assistant youth director, Jerona West, said the community service work was beneficial.

"School is so important and August 19 is right around the corner," she said. "It's a good initiative, and having the support from the community and the church has been incredible."

Reach Nathan Frandino at nfrandino@postandcourier.com.