After nearly two full weeks of classes, as many as 200 students haven’t made it to school yet, Vicksburg Warren School District officials say.

&#8220We won’t have all of our kids enrolled until after Labor Day,” on Sept. 3 said Superintendent James Price. But by &#8220the week after Labor Day, we should have over 9,200,” he said.

The tally for the first day of classes on Aug. 8 was 8,094 students. On Tuesday, the 10th day of classes for the district, 8,797 students were present.

It’s a trend of so many students missing the start of school that continues year after year and mystifies administrators.

&#8220Up to a few years ago, Vicksburg started school after Labor Day, so some parents have the same mentality,” and don’t send their children to school until then, no matter what, said Deputy Superintendent John Walls.

There are other factors. As students continue to trickle in, kindergarten and first grade will see the greatest increases in numbers, indicating some parents might still be trying to convince children to take the next step, while others might be unwilling to part with their youngsters for the first time. Still others haven’t gotten around to filling out the paperwork to enroll their children.

Whatever the reason, the influx of late students makes it difficult to settle everyone into a routine, Price said.

&#8220Right now, we can’t balance out our biggest classes,” said Price.

Under the Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law, all children aged 6 to 17 must be enrolled in and regularly attend school by the 15th calendar day of the school year. This year, parents have until Tuesday to meet that deadline. If children are attending private school or a home-school program, that must be documented with school officials. Parents who do not comply can face legal consequences.

Last year, a 36-year-old Vicksburg woman was arrested after she tried to enroll her 10-year-old son. An investigation determined that the boy and his 16-year-old sister had never attended school. The woman pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of failure to comply with the Compulsory Attendance Law. She was sentenced to a six-month suspended jail term and five years unsupervised probation.

This year, no similar cases have surfaced yet, said Warren County School Attendance Officer Charles Winston. Along with officers Mary Greer and Tracy Young, he investigates cases of absent students reported to them by the VWSD.

After five unexcused absences, parents will receive a letter informing them that they could face a $1,000 fine or a year in jail if the missed days continue. Twelve days of unexcused absences will land parents in court, Winston said.

A lot of times, a court date can be easily avoided if parents take the initiative to contact the school, said officials.

Sometimes students will forget to give teachers an excuse for their legitimate absence, the missed day will be recorded as unexcused and parents will not follow up. Other times, parents are unaware their children are skipping school. Older students may face a hardship due to pregnancy. And still other parents and students think coming to school regularly is simply unimportant. On an average day, there are about 100 student absences.

Whatever the reason, said Winston, &#8220we’ll do everything in our power,” to make sure children are in school.

On Tuesday, said Walls, the rolls will be purged and the list of missing students will be handed over to the investigators by the end of the week.

School attendance is &#8220not a major problem in Warren County,” but &#8220we’re here to make sure it,” doesn’t become one, said Winston.

ENROLLMENT

Vicksburg Warren School District Enrollment By School:

Beechwood Elementary