ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Over 400 participants gathered to put heads together and attempt to solve issues with absenteeism and truancy within schools in the Pelican State at the 2025 Louisiana Solutions Summit, held at the Four Points by Sheraton Convention Center in Alexandria on September 8.
“One of the major benefits of this is that there are so many people doing so many wonderful things about these issues,” said State Supreme Court Chief Justice John Weimer. “But what works in Shreveport might not work in Grant Parish. What works in Rapides might not work in Lafourche Parish.”
This is why state leaders, including those from the Louisiana Supreme Court, the State Department of Education, and the Board for Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), are working collaboratively to find what works, what doesn’t and everything in between, hoping to lower absenteeism and truancy rates.
Opening remarks were delivered by Chief Justice Weimer and Justice John Michael Guidry, along with Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, BESE President Ronnie Morris and BESE Member Dr. Sharon Clark. Ret. Judge David Matlock, Caddo Juvenile Court, served as Master of Ceremonies, and First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Blair B. Edwards hosted the ceremony.
Featured speakers included Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Piper D. Griffin, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Timothy S. Marcel, Orleans Juvenile Court Judge Ranord J. Darensburg, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court Judge Gail Grover, along with several leaders from the education and child welfare sectors.
The one-day summit addressed a wide range of topics, including early interventions and proactive strategies for addressing absenteeism, best practices for collaborative approaches, the informal Families in Need of Services (FINS) process, navigating the truancy adjudication process, supporting students as they return to school and strengthening the role of children and youth planning boards.”
Chief Justice Weimer said it is critically important to ensure that the students throughout the State of Louisiana attend school.
“There are those that suggest truancy is a pipeline to prison,” Weimer said. “I don’t think that’s the case. But certainly, without an education, people are disadvantaged.”
Participants were immersed in expert-led panels, interactive breakout sessions and real-world examples of successful interventions. Those in attendance collaborated on exercises and worked together to address issues they see in their region and issues other participants see in their region.
The goal is to find ways to reduce truancy in each community and every parish, primarily at the local level.
“Everybody needs to come together collaboratively to work towards that goal, and it must be done in the local schools and school systems. Because each parish, each district is so unique and so different,” Weimer said.
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