David was suspended from school today, and he will not return. David, like many young people, joins the ranks of the high school dropouts.

According to Richard Mills, New York's Commissioner of Education, “25,000 students who began high school in 2003 dropped out.” To this the commissioner added “even in good times, uneducated young people are marginalized economically, politically, and socially. Imagine what awaits them now.”

For David, this is not just a high school tragedy; this saga began to unfold before David entered kindergarten.

David came from a family that faced many challenges. His father was minimally involved in his life and his mother struggled to make ends meet while he was growing. David's mother would normally work two jobs during his formative years and didn't have a chance for the type of interaction that helps a developing mind. One of these most critical interactions is reading to one's child. David's mother also suffered several abusive relationships along the way. Many abusive men entered and exited David's already turbulent family life.

David arrived at kindergarten chronologically on time, but behind his peers developmentally. He was also suffering from emotional trauma brought on from his unstable home situation. As his schoolwork became more challenging David found it was easier to act out, diverting the attention of the teacher and his classroom peers from the real issue.

He simply could not do the work expected of him.

Counseling was recommended and available to David but his mother did not follow through with any of the programs offered. David finished elementary school with many suspensions, as well as absences.

Throughout middle and then finally into high school the pattern continued to repeat itself. The work was simply too difficult. Getting “the call” from the principal was not a shock to David's mother.

In the end, David never really felt connected to the schools he attended. If you asked David, “all they wanted to do was get me in trouble.” David was a kid pushed into the margins who finally dropped off the edge.

We may not be able to prevent all the trauma this boy suffered, but there are things we can do to minimize the negative impacts.

The first critical step is early identification of the children and families that are at risk. Once identified, families like David's need to be connected to community-based organizations that can offer help. Programs such as EPIC (Every Person Influences Children) offer classes to help parents gain the vital skills they need to promote emotional and social growth in children.

Other programs like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library can get free books into homes from birth to kindergarten entrance which will promote early literacy. County based mental health and social service agencies are available to help struggling families. These services need to be accessed and used with consistency. A trusting relationship between the agency and home is also a vital component.

The relationship between the home, agency, and school should exist as long as it is needed. The student may also be able to access counseling or other services from a school based provider.

In addition, many schools are beginning to look at options such as mentoring programs to help students feel valued and stay connected. There is a popular adage that goes like this: “students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Add to this persistent, meaningful conversations centered on high behavioral and academic expectations between the student, parent and school personnel, and you have a formula for school success.

“David” does not exist in our world, but it is certain that there are many other children like David that do. If we can identify these children early and support their social, emotional, and cognitive development, we help all people by making our communities stronger, happier places to live and work.

Ronald Gorney is the principal of Genesee Elementary School. He may be reached at 255-8644