Dropout prevention hotline set to open in Beltrami Country
A new high school dropout prevention hotline for northwest Minnesota will launch at the beginning of March. Its being organized by the nonprofit, Project Graduate 100%.
Project director, John Eggers, said the hotline is intended to counteract Beltrami County's high dropout rates.
“As far as I know, there’s no other county in the United States that has a goal of 100 percent graduation rate. So, it’s a unique program,” he said. “The graduation rate is still a work in progress. So, we hope that with a with the Dropout Prevention Hotline, we will see some more improvement with this.”
The hotline will offer resources over the phone to students, or anyone involved in their lives, to help keep them enrolled.
Eggers is a former Red Lake High School principal who has worked in education for 60 years.
“It’s not a school initiative. It’s a community initiative, which makes it unique. The idea is to get to make graduation part of our culture to make graduation a mindset,” he said.
Eggers says Beltrami County has one of the lowest graduation rates in the state. The hotline is currently seeking volunteers to answer phones.
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