CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Independent School District has launched its 18th annual "Operation Keys" initiative to reconnect with students who haven't returned to school this year.
"Keys" stands for "Keep Every Youth in School," and the program targets approximately 1,000 students who are enrolled in the district but haven't attended classes this school year.
CCISD staffers and volunteers gathered at the district's administration building on Leopard Street for the Operation Keys phone bank. The district has about 33,000 students enrolled, but roughly 1,000 haven't returned to classes.
The group is working to contact families of those students to understand why their children haven't enrolled and to offer support.
"You hear lots of reasons, it could be transportation, it could be medical or health concerns. It could be maybe the student is working to support the family. There's lots of reasons, all individualized depending on each student," said Ron Kanipes, director for Student Services at CCISD.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, CCISD staff and volunteers will take their outreach efforts to the streets for the Keys Walk. Teams will go into neighborhoods, knocking on doors to track down families they were unable to reach by phone.
Those families will be offered resources to help them overcome whatever barriers are keeping their children from attending school.
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