San Antonio -- Spring Break is wrapping up and, for many parents, it's going to be hard to get your kids excited about going back to school next week.
Problem is - there are some kids who just refuse to go.
The largest district in town has decided it won't wait for the kids who skip school to magically show up. Now, they're going in search of them.
News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Mireya Villarreal tagged along with Northside I.S.D. Attendance Officer, Ed Willars. He was trying to track down a student who hadn’t been in school for more than two months.
"Ok - we're looking for a 16-year-old student that hasn't been in school for a while. See if we can talk to him or his parents," Willars told us.
Instead of just tallying up the numbers of kids who don't show up, like they've done in the past, he's started looking for them. But they’re also looking for parents, who are ultimately responsible for their child's education.
"The parent has to get the kid to the door,” Willars said. “The parent has to get the kid in a frame of mind that they're willing to cooperate with staff at the school and willing stay where they are asked to be."
No one answers at the first house, so Officer Willars moved onto the next. But as we moved through the neighborhoods, he explained how hard it is to get a hold of parents. But once he does, he's offering families a lot of guidance and support that they may not be able to get on their own.
"What would they like to see for their child? Obviously, they'd like to see them graduate. They'd like to see them successful in school," Willars pointed out.
Willars also told us about a lot of resources available to parents if you have trouble getting your kids motivated to go to school.
You can track your child's grades and daily attendance by logging on to a Northside program called
"Parent Connection". There, you'll also find a number of parenting classes and special services available to families.
