Enrollment is down more than 2 percent in the Greenwood public schools, according to figures released Tuesday.
Superintendent Les Daniels reported to the school board that 3,642 students were enrolled in the district as of Tuesday.
On that date last year, enrollment was 3,726.
Daniels said police and others in the community see school-age children elsewhere when they should be in school.
Two officers are paid by the state to enforce attendance rules for the Greenwood and Leflore County districts.
The Greenwood district also has three people policing those who are enrolled in school but don't attend. The superintendent said the district has done well in dealing with those people but still has a problem with others who are not enrolled.
Board President John Johnson said this issue must be addressed by those in charge of enforcing attendance regulations.
"I don't know what we can do, but I would like to keep that on the front burner," Johnson said.
Also Tuesday, attorney Richard Oakes updated the board on negotiations between the district and Mississippi Action for Progress concerning the building that formerly housed Dickerson Elementary School. MAP has expressed interest in using the building for a Head Start facility.
Surveys requested by MAP have been done, and MAP has received a draft of a proposed lease but has not responded, Oakes said.
MAP representatives have looked at the building and were impressed, Daniels said.
Johnson said he still wanted to have a memorial on the site of the city's first black high school. The memorial is incorporated into the lease.
The board also accepted a bid of $2,900 from Environmental Management Plus Inc. to remove the last remaining asbestos from the Dickerson building.
The board began the meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of Tuesday's terrorist attacks and their families.
