Last month, students in the Chronic Absenteeism Termination (CAT) program at Glymont Middle School welcomed guests to their school. They met with Superintendent of Schools Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D., staff of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and representatives from the State’s Attorney Office (SAO) to discuss the program and its benefits.

Kaprece James, CEO of Stella’s Girls Inc., was also present along with Glymont Principal Orlena Whatley. CAT focuses on identifying the challenges that contribute to frequent absences and tardiness among students, while working with them to build personalized success plans. Students in the program learn about the importance of regular school attendance and are given incentives to help create a more consistent attendance record.

State’s Attorney Tony Covington and Abena McAllister, director of criminal justice reform initiatives in the state’s attorney’s office, were also present at the meeting and mentioned the heart behind the program. “We talk to a thousand kids a year talking about choices and this is the focus that we wanted to have with the program as well,” Covington said. “We want them to think about the choices they make.”

Covington said that after researching which CCPS schools could benefit from the program, Glymont was chosen as a pilot school for CAT. “I’m glad that we were able to do this here,” Whatley said.

Students in the program shared their experience and how it has helped them reach their goal in lowering future absences. “The proactive approach has stuck with some of our students,” Whatley said.

“I like the program,” Amar Love, sixth-grade student at Glymont, said. “It helps me stay in school and my grades have boosted.”

The program is closely connected with the support of Stella’s Girls Inc., the work of Charles Gammons, CCPS student engagement and conduct office specialist, and Neal Bankenstein, pupil personnel worker (PPW) at Glymont.

“We started to peel back the layers and see what the problems were for some of the students as to why they were not coming to school,” Whatley said. Often there were needs at home that prevented students from attending school regularly.

Glymont staff collaborated with the state’s attorney office to find out how to solve the issues. One solution was to add a laundromat to the school to help lessen the chore load for families at home. Whatley said that they wanted to show the parents that the school cared about their children and with support of parents in the program, it became more successful.

Also present during the meeting was Sambrina Kelly, Stella’s Girls program coordinator; and SAO Chief Investigator Ted Jones.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,904 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. 

CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).