COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Schools are officially back in session. But for one district in Monroe County, a new resource for students and their families is also in full swing.
Excited voices and footsteps fill the halls of Clear Run Elementary Center in Coolbaugh Township as another school year has begun.
Aside from moving up a grade, students are also trying out a new program.
Communities in Schools, also known as ‘CIS’, place a liaison on school campuses to work with students and their families to fill the gap of whatever they need to succeed in the classroom.
The partnership has been two years in the making and is now operating in four of the Pocono Mountain West Schools. The goal is to improve attendance and family involvement.
La Festa Italiana wraps up in ScrantonNationwide attendance is a hurdle for all school districts, so providing resources, whether it be for medical, shelter, or food, can greatly impact those numbers.
School officials have already received great feedback during the first week of school and hope it encourages families to share their struggles.
The "Communities in Schools" program is running as a pilot for the next three years.
The Pocono Mountain School District superintendent says they hope to expand the resource to its five other schools in the future.