By Steve Powell

spowell@arlingtontimes.com

ARLINGTON – Keinen LaRose of Arlington went from missing 110 days of school over two years to now having perfect attendance.

Sounds impossible. But that’s what happened, thanks to the Arlington Public Schools’ community truancy board.

The board was formed last spring in an effort to provide educational options to keep students in school.

Kathy Ehman of the truancy board said the state requires all districts to have one. “Becca Court has not helped,” she said. Keinen attended Arlington High School in ninth and 10th grades. He was overwhelmed and started falling behind in his studies. He never felt like he could catch up and stopped going to school despite interventions from AHS. His mom, Cheyenna Costello, said Keinen has ADHD and finds large classes intimidating. She tried everything to get him to go to school – even taking his Xbox to work with her. “He lost all of his privileges. We didn’t know what else to do. But he would just lay in bed,” she said, adding when he did go to school he would hang out in the library all day.

Under the state’s truancy law, the school held conferences with Keinen and his family. The school eventually had to file a petition with the juvenile court.

“Since I missed so much school, I had to go to truancy court, and I felt like a convict,” Keinen said. “After the hearing, I decided I didn’t want to drag my parents through that experience again.”

Last spring, he attended Arlington’s newly formed truancy board, made up of educators, administrators, mental health professionals and community members. “I felt like they weren’t trying to punish me and actually wanted me to succeed in school. They actually listened to me. They talked about educational options and gave me tools so I could be successful. I felt like I was offered a new start,” Keinen said.

Costello said a key to his turnaround was when school officials convinced him that the alternative Weston High School wasn’t a “horrible place to go. He thought Weston was where they sent the bad kids.”

She said he has flourished there, with small class sizes and more hands-on learning. For example, he failed English the past two years, but has a B so far this year.

“It was cool going to his (parent-teacher) conferences and hearing all good” comments, Costello said.

Ehman said the truancy board doesn’t tell the students what to do. “We put the onus back on them,” she said.

They all identify barriers and come up with solutions. Issues can be family problems, substance abuse or even just lacking motivation.

“We find the root cause of why they are not there” in school, Ehman said, adding if it’s more than the school can provide social services are sought.

Keinen is now working to make up credits for graduation and has a goal of becoming a heavy-machinery operator. His father drives him to school every day, which helps his attendance. In October, he received an award for perfect attendance. He said it was the first award he received since elementary school.

Costello said truancy court was scary, but the truancy board was so positive.

“I wish it would have happened two years ago,” Costello said. “He can’t hide in a corner like he used to. He has to participate.”

She added: “The school is trying. They are finding out not everyone learns the same way.”

Ehman said the board will do almost anything, even allowing kids to go back to school just two days a week.

“And we can build on that. We are flexible about the education process,” she said, adding they will even look at online school or simply getting a GED.

“The options are endless. Whatever it will take to get the kid back.”