This High School Is Not for Me

[avoiding high school]

Dear Nancy and Sid,

I can’t stand this high school so I’m always skipping school or class, failing subjects, getting into trouble, or getting bullied by other kids.  Don’t tell anyone I asked, but what else can I do?  -- Anthony

Dear Nancy and Sid,

How can we get this kid to go to school? Nothing seems to work. – We Care

Dear Nancy and Sid,

I can’t get up to go to school in the morning. Maybe I should go to night school or just quit. -- Charlie

Dear Nancy and Sid,

Unless these freshmen can overcome their poor attendance in middle school they’re probably going to have a tough time in high school. The truancy road leads to academic failure and dropping out. What kind of help can you provide?  -- Worried Parents and Teachers

Dear Anthony, Charlie, “We Care,” and “Worried Parents and Teachers”

There are plenty of reasons kids don’t feel they want to go to school. You need to find the program that’s going to work for you or the kids you’re worried about. Some of the programs you can consider include:

  YABC: Staten Island Young Adult Borough Center
 Olympus Academy
 GPS at Port Richmond High School 
Truancy prevention planning at the CDRC: Community Dispute Resolution Center

Read about each of these programs, then give our staff a call at 718-815-4557.