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.

Senator Whitehouse’s Press Release noted that truancy has become a pervasive problem for schools across the country, particularly public schools in urban areas. Students who demonstrate a lack of commitment to school are at an increased risk for substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, and school dropout. Currently, only 70 percent of American students earn their high school diploma, though the average annual income for a high school dropout in 2005 was $17,299, compared to $26,933 for a high school graduate.

Preventing rising dropout rates means confronting truancy early on. A recent survey found that 11 percent of 8^th grade students reported skipping 1 or more days of school during a 30-day period. By the time students reach 12^th grade, that number balloons to a staggering 35 percent.

"With your help, we can dedicate August as a month to focus on a serious problem that crosses all social, economic and racial sectors. Truancy knows no boundaries! It is incumbent upon us to educate our citizens that - together - we can make a difference," said Pagliarini on behalf of the NTPA.

The NTPA is very appreciative and commends Senator Whitehouse for his leadership; we look forward to working with him on a national level to address truancy reduction and its effects on society. "Senator Whitehouse should be commended for his vision and leadership in this area".

The other cosponsors of the resolution were Senators Hatch, Sanders, Klobuchar, Cardin and Mikulski.

If you would like more information, contact:

Ron Pagliarini, President, National Truancy Prevention Association at 401-458-5028 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it