Caddo Parish Truancy Drops 5%: How Shreveport Leaders Are Turning the Tide

A focus in our community is to reach young people who might be on a destructive path. Shreveport leaders have worked to put programs in place to help these teens. There is also a cooperative effort to address truancy in Caddo Parish. District Attorney James Stewart says we are finally seeing some progress on that front.

Stewart says "our children and juvenile court are and will continue to be a main focus of my administration. Truancy, especially after the pandemic shutdown of schools, has been a problem that has plagued our state and our parish."

What Is Truancy?

What's the Truancy Rate in Caddo Parish Today?

D.A. Stewart says for the 2024-25 school year, the truancy rate has dropped by 5% compared to last year. This means more than 2,000 students are no longer on the list of truants. Stewart says this is a direct result of the efforts of a great team from several agencies including Volunteers for Youth Justice, school principals and school staff. He also says the juvenile court probation department and Juvenile Court truancy Judge Natalie Howell have all worked hand-in-hand to tackle this critical problem.

Stewart says the Caddo Parish School Board is also set to invest extra personnel into helping families who are struggling to get children to attend school. He says it's critical to:

Get children back into school quicker by addressing their issues on the front end, rather than leaving the child languishing and missing school during the time it takes to pipeline a case from the school to the school board attendance office.

How Can Families in Shreveport Get Help?

The Harbor at 3004 Knight Street is available with help for families in Caddo Parish. It's a one-stop shop for all of your family’s counseling and school attendance needs. Stewart urges families to get help before his office has to step in. You can contact the Harbor at (318) 725-HBOR.