Brizard Surprises School with Target Gift Card

Woodlawn Community Elementary School got a surprise Thursday morning -- a visit from schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard and a $3,000 Target gift card.

The school was rewarded for having 99.18 percent attendance during the first week of school, the highest in the city's most truant areas. The gift card can be used to purchase school supplies and staff supplies.

"The principal, teachers, and staff here at Woodlawn Community School understand that getting students to class on the first day is critical to their success," Brizard said Thursday in a statement.

As part of Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Back to School campaign, Chicago Public Schools launched an “attendance challenge” as an incentive to encourage attendance in areas with the highest truancy rates.

Woodlawn Community Elementary School teaches 232 students from grades Pre-K to 6th grade. Brizard said he will accompany the principal and a few teachers on their shopping trip.