Ron Pagliarini of the National Truancy Prevention Association (NTPA) announced that the United States Senate passed a resolution yesterday declaring August as National Truancy Prevention Month.

Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse was instrumental in the passage of this resolution and was a cosponsor of it. "Senator Whitehouse has been a great supporter of our efforts in Rhode Island and a true advocate for truancy and drop-out prevention programs nationwide. The NTPA is working diligently to raise awareness across the country about the devastating and long lasting impact that truancy and related issues have on a vast number of juveniles, their families and the communities they live in," stated Pagliarini.

"By declaring August National Truancy Prevention Month, the NTPA hopes to bring its goal of eliminating truancy and expanding the scope of the drop-out prevention programs to the national lime light. We can no longer afford to lose young, promising lives to these issues that are preventable and costly to society. Together we can forge a strong forefront and combat these destructive behaviors head-on," continued Pagliarini.