The deadly shooting at a Georgia high school is now putting parents in Massachusetts on edge as their children return to the classroom this week.
As students in Boston prepare for their first day of school, safety concerns are at the forefront Thursday morning.
Safety and security are always top of mind, especially at the beginning of the school year but so is making sure that students come to class every day.
Boston Public Schools continues to tackle absenteeism in the district.
School officials said they’ve reduced it by as much at 10% in the last two years. That’s part of the reason why Mayor Michele Wu, Superintendent Mary Skipper and dozens of volunteers knocked on roughly 300 doors of students on the eve of the first day of school, handing out backpacks filled with school supplies, gift cards and reminding families of the importance of being in school.
The mayor and superintendent said it was important to make that connection with students and parents to show them that they care about their education.
“Most important to remember that at the end of the day, it’s about each individual young person and their family,” said Wu.
“There are students that are chronically absent and if we don’t intervene, they will drop out,” added Skipper.
One thing that should help is that the district is fully staffed with bus drivers this year as well, unlike in previous school years.
