JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
It was all about finding answers and taking action at a town hall meeting Thursday night at Lanier High School. Representatives from United Way, Operation Shoestring and Mississippi Public Broadcasting are working with students, parents and educators to tackle the state's dropout problem. They also watched a video from students who chose to stay in the classroom until graduation.
"We're here, not to talk about the problems, not to explore why students drop out, but to find solutions", said Shawna Davie, Director of Education for the United Way.
"We'll try to get the parents to help motivate the students and become more involved in the student's education so they will be motivated to stay in school", Lanier Senior, Adriana Parker said.
"It depends on the students themselves if they would want to get help because you can't force someone to do something if they don't want to do it", said Chrystal Norwood, a Murrah High School Senior.
"Without an education its no telling where you may be, but with an education the sky is the limit, there's no limit to what you can do", Janice Parker, a parent, said.
Some students say another huge problem in the state, teen pregnancy, forces kids to dropout. Organizers tell us students at Lanier and Wingfield have come up with their own programs to encourage kids to stay in school.
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