27 Aug 2010
Operation Comeback Neighborhood Walk Begins Saturday, September 11
DALLAS—School district and city officials are joining forces for Operation Comeback, to canvass neighborhoods in hopes of connecting with middle and high school students who are listed as no-shows to encourage them to come back to school. No-shows are defined as students who have not shown up to enroll in school and are at risk for dropping out.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa and Mayor Tom Leppert will hold a briefing at 9 a.m., Saturday, September 11, at L.G. Pinkston High School, 2200 Dennison St., after which they will lead a team of volunteers to homes in West Dallas to locate and speak with students.
Other teams will be dispersed to neighborhoods throughout the city with one goal in mind—convincing potential dropouts to return to school. Dallas ISD middle and high schools will be open on that day, 9 a.m. until noon, to enroll students who want to return to school.
Prior to the neighborhood walks, volunteers will man a phone bank at the Administration Building, 3700 Ross Ave., from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., Thursday, September 9, to call the homes of students listed as no-shows in an effort to get them to enroll. Mayor Leppert and Superintendent Hinojosa will roll up their sleeves and help make calls at the phone bank beginning at 11 a.m.
Operation Comeback marks the third year in a row the district has joined with the City of Dallas to combat the dropout rate. Last year, 82 students returned to school as a result of the Operation Comeback initiative.
"Dallas ISD is pioneering a college readiness warning system and we are proud to lend our support to it," in announcing a $3.77 million grant.