VIDALIA, La. &045; Attendance may be one of the most basic rules schools try to enforce, but it’s also one of the most important, administrators say.

Parish schools have tried everything from pizza parties and prizes to parent conferences to make sure their kids are in school, and the three most successful schools were honored at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

Ferriday Upper Elementary School had an average of 96.2 percent attendance over the last school year and led the way in overall attendance in the parish. Monterey High School and Vidalia Lower Elementary School came in second and third, respectively.

&uot;This award goes to the parents and teachers, so hats of to them,&uot; FUES Principal Lillian Franklin said.

For the elementary schools much of attendance does depend on parents, VLES Principal Doris Polk said. VLES, which had 95.2 percent attendance, starts off the year with an orientation for parents where they stress attendance.

Once the year starts, students who have perfect attendance get monthly rewards in the form of pizza parties, extra recess time or snacks.

&uot;It’s very important to have them here,&uot; Polk said. &uot;With our reading program we have two hours blocked off in the mornings for reading and if they miss one day it kind of puts them behind.&uot;

Each school’s accountability performance score also depends on attendance, in addition to state test scores.

Monterey High School Principal Neeva Sibley has to push daily attendance for ages 4 to 18.

&uot;I’ve really been on a soap box lately about quote skips days,&uot; Sibley said. &uot;We stress that all the time.&uot;

Sibley said MHS sends out letters to parents about absences and rewards perfect attendance.

&uot;When it comes to school performance scores, 5 percent is based on attendance,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s very important to keep it up. We have to keep rising every time.&uot;

At Tuesday’s school board meeting Attendance Supervisor Howard Jackson proposed reinstating an old policy that rewards the school with the best attendance with $500. Superintendent Kerry Laster said she’d check the budget and do what she could.