The Volusia School District is trying to battle what it calls a chronic absenteeism problem across the county.

Volusia’s Superintendent James Russell says last year, more than 9,000 of the county’s 63,000 students missed school.

Russell said Daytona Beach Police is helping curb that problem by going to parents. Daytona Beach is the only city in Volusia County which has police, not deputies walking the halls of area schools.

“We go to their house, and we make every effort to contact every parent of the top, you know 15 to 20 or 30 students that are absent a lot,” said Lt. James Brodick, who is in charge of Daytona Beach police resource officers.

“Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of class. So that’s 18 days in a 9-month school year,” said Volusia School district spokesperson Nancy Wait.

According to documents released by the school district, student absenteeism is a problem at all grades. But they say the students with the highest absenteeism rates are elementary school students.

Brodick said students who make it a habit of missing school can graduate to bigger issues, like hanging out with the wrong crowds. So resource officers get together on planning days and hit the streets.

“And we ask the parent, is there a reason why they’re absent? Is there a reason or something we can help with?” said Brodick.

Brodick says single working parents sometimes don’t even know they’re child is missing school. And if a parents shows little, if any interest, the officer is forced to give those parents a sobering reminder.

“They are subject to be charged with a crime if they continue to allow their student... to be absent,” warned Brodick.