Superintendent-elect Dr. Troy Bell recently met with District Judge Anastasia Wiley, Juvenile Assistant District Attorney Shelby Terrell and Aleta Hoffman, a Families in Need of Services Officer (FINS), to coordinate how Winn Parish Schools and the courts enforce truancy laws in Winn Parish.

Bell said attendance is both a legal responsibility and critical for students’ academic success. With the district on a four-day school week, he noted that each class day carries greater weight and lost instruction is harder to recover.

Committed to fair and consistent enforcement parishwide, he emphasized the district collaborating with judicial partners to help families address attendance barriers and intervene early when patterns of absence appear going forward.

“Our students deserve every opportunity to succeed, and that begins with being present in school,” Bell said.