DAYTON — Four northwest Dayton schools have announced that they will be offering attendance incentives and opinions are mixed.
The four schools include Fairview Elementary School, Edwin Joel Brown Middle School, Wogaman Middle School and Thurgood Marshall STEM High School.
Beginning Feb. 28 students with two straight weeks of perfect attendance and no disciple issues can receive a $25 gift card.
Two more weeks can get them another $25 gift card.
“It’s important for our students and families to be in school and if we need to incentivize them to do that, we are going to do that,” Dayton Public Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Lolli told News Center 7.
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There is a chance for parents and guardians to receive gift cards as well.
Parents of a student that goes four consecutive weeks with spotless attendance and discipline records can receive a $40 gift card.
Lolli pointed out that this is not taxpayer money, the funds are coming from a grant from Learn to Earn Dayton.
“I could not believe,” Patricia Smith Mackey said.
Mackey sent her kids to DPS and now has grandchildren there.
She knows there are hurdles for families to get kids to go to school, but thinks education should be the motivation they need.
“I don’t know why you need to pay money to have a child come to school and then the parents as well,” Mackey said.
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WHIO conducted a poll in which respondents overwhelmingly, 85 percent to 15 percent, did not agree that this program was a good idea.
The poll was not limited to DPS families.
The superintendent said this is not so different from incentive programs like “In It To Win It” used car giveaways that DPS and suburban districts have used to encourage attendance.
Lolli said she isn’t worried about the online critics.
“Frankly, we do what’s best for our students in this district and what’s best for our families in this district,” she said.
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