Mobile County District Attorney's Office announces decrease in truancy, absentee rates in schools

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — Mobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood's office announced a decrease in truancy and chronic absentee rates from the 2023-'24 school year.

After Blackwood launched the Helping Families Initiative to address the issue in September 2023, the numbers showed a major decrease countywide.

According to a news release from the DA's office, Mobile County Public Schools saw a 37% decrease in truant students and a 45% decrease in chronically absent students. School systems such as Saraland, Satsuma and Chickasaw also improved in decreasing truancy.

The Strickland Youth Center saw a decrease from 600-900 truan...