a collaborative plan for schools, police departments

Truancy Solutions:

A Collaborative Plan for

Schools,

Police Departments,

Community Agencies

and the

Juvenile Justice System

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction

Planning Group Members 3

Planning Group Background and Action 5

II. Executive Summary 8

III. The Issues 22

Critical Demographics 22

Comprehensive Response to Attendance Diagram, Dr. Hedy Chang 26

Discussion of the Issues & National Research 26

IV. PREVENTION - Chronic Absence 27

Tarrant County Menu of Evidenced-informed Recommendations 27

1. Truancy Prevention Mediation Program, Dispute Resolution Services of

NTx 27

2. Teacher Home Visits 29

3. Attendance Incentives for Parents/Students 30

4. On-Site Therapeutic Family Counseling 31

5. Santa Fe Youth Services Strengthening Families Program 32

V. INTERVENTION - Truancy 35



1. Intervention Attendance Incentive Program (AIP) 39

2. Neighborhood Conference Committee 41

3. Lena Pope’s Second Opportunity for Success 43

4. AimTruancy Solutions 45

5. Parenting with Love and Limits 47

6. Santa Fe Youth Services – Reconnecting Youth 49

7. Job Corps 50

VI. MANAGEMENT - Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out and Delinquency 52

Top Ten Reasons Why Teens Drop Out of School 52



1. Court-Based and Court Diversion Program 56

VII. Evaluation 60

VIII. Committee Recommendation for Action 61

IX. Appendix – Recommended Program Contacts 63

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Membership February 2, 2012 – December 15, 2012

Community Chair: Sylvia Nichols, LPCS, Arlington ISD Project Development

Prevention Sub-Committee

Curtis Amos Everman Superintendent, Student Services

Rebecca Barksdale Tarrant County

Chelsea Belote Texas Appleseed

Katherine Bisbee Counselor, ACH Child & Family Services

Jerry Buford Bedford Police Department

Wendy Carrington AISD Director, Dropout Prevention

Bill Daily Staff Attorney, TX Appleseed

Linda De Leon Principal, AISD Speer Elementary

Andrew Fitzpatrick Vice president operations, Boys & Girls Clubs,

Arlington

Deborah Fowler Deputy Director, Texas Appleseed

Kathryn Freeman Texas Appleseed

Stephanie Gillespie Arlington Police Department

Carole Hagler AISD, State and Federal Programs

Amy Hernandez Director, Truancy Program Eagle Mt.-Saginaw ISD

Bowie Hogg AISD School Board

Noreen Kennedy Program Coordinator, Big HOPE, Big Brother Big

Sisters

Todd Landry Executive Director, Lena Pope Home, Inc.

Ricardo Lucero Executive Director, Arlington Police Department

Marc Marchand Arlington Public Library

Sean Milligan Everman ISD

Abby Mitchell Dispute Resolution Services

Jeni McGarry Commissioner Andy Nguyen’s Office

Curtis Petties Arlington police

Kelly Rodriguez Assist. Precinct Administrator, Commissioner Andy

Nguyen

Sandra Romero Summit International Prep

Carolyn Sims Northeast Sub-Courthouse

Regina Smith TCPH-Nurse Family Partnership

Trey Webster Family specialist, Lean Pope Home, Inc.

Richard Williamson Truancy Consultant, Volunteer, J. P. Precinct 1

Steve Wurm Boys & Girls Clubs, Arlington

Intervention Sub-Committee

Johnny Barrington Lead Truancy Officer, HEB ISD

Scott Brown Arlington Police Department

Tanisha Collins AISD Attendance Offic – Lamar HS

Bill Daily Staff Attorney, TX Appleseed

Deborah Fowler Deputy Director, Texas Appleseed

Kathryn Freeman Texas Appleseed

Randy Gardner Technical Sargent Community Services, Bedford Police Department

Jodi Heilbrunn National Center for School Engagement


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Virginia Hoft Santa Fe Adolescent Services

Bowie Hogg AISD School Board

Liz Hummert Arlington Police Department

Bobby Jester Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD

James King Executive Director, Everman ISD

Randy Nyhus AISD Attendance Office, Martin Network

Kenneth Page Everman ISD

Loester Posey Director Student Discipline & Placement, FWISD

Linda Reeves Human Resources and Student Services, Eagle mountain-Saginaw

ISD

Chris Rose Truancy officer, Lake Worth ISD

Barry Smith Director for Attendance Control FWISD

Management Sub-Committee

Brian Harris, Chair Harris Consulting

Hon. Linda Bierman-Davis Justice of the Peace

Carlin Caliman Juvenile Case Coordinator, Arlington Municipal Court

Scott Donaldson Assistant Coordinator, TCCD Criminal Justice Training Center

Debbie Durko Municipal Court Administrator, North Richland Hills Court

Nancy Griggs Tarrant County Precinct 2

James Hawthorne Assistant Chief, Arlington Police Department

Dr. Nathanial Hearne HEB ISD


Krystal James Youth & Family Specialist, Commissioner Roy Brooks

Karen Kayser Director Student & Staff Services, Commissioner Andy Nguyen

Steve Moore Chief of Police, Hurst Police Department

Ken Shetter Safe City Commission

Isaac Smith FWISD

Les Smith Tarrant County Criminal Justice Coordinator

Hon. Ralph Swearingin Tarrant County Justice of the Peace

Randy Turner Director, Tarrant county Juvenile Services

Kynda Turpin Administrative Clerk, JP2

Jimmy Walker AISD Assist. Superintendent, Administration

Sharen Wilson Judge, Criminal District Court 1

Richard Williamson Volunteer

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Background:

In 2010, Every Student Counts: A REPORT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS RELATED

TO TRUANCY AND SCHOOL DROPOUTS AND SOME PROPOSED SOLUTIONS was

presented to a group of Tarrant County school districts, police departments, juvenile justice and court

staff, and county commissioners. A community based planning committee was established to develop a

Tarrant County Truancy Plan.

February 2, 2012, a community group of some 40 persons met at the Arlington ISD Woodrow

Counts Administration Building, Arlington Independent School District to discuss the attendance,

truancy, delinquency, and court issues plaguing Tarrant County. Representatives from Texas Appleseed,

an Austin-based policy think tank and The National Center for School Engagement, a Colorado-based

research firm joined the conversation. The basis for the conversation was the reference to pages 14, 55,

75, 86, and 154 from the 2011 North Central Texas Countywide Criminal Justice Community Plan. In

summary of that meeting, the group decided to form an open county-wide planning committee. The

committee would meet to identify specific concerns, issues, roadblocks and evidence based successful

strategies. The target product would be a Tarrant County Truancy Plan.

On February 29, 2012, an open invitation meeting established three major activities to be

accomplished.

1. The need for some targeted qualitative assessment. With funding from the County

Commissioner’s Court, Arlington, Everman, and Fort Worth Independent School Districts were

selected to participate in a student focus group study in May 2012. The Center for School

Engagement was selected to complete the study.

2. Development of a three component plan that had flexibility for all the diverse communities

within Tarrant County under the headings of successful evidence based:

a. Prevention Strategies,

b. Intervention Strategies,

c. Management Strategies, and

d. Acknowledgement that the local school district(s), police department(s), and court

system(s) would need to meet and select components in each strategy area to turn the

growing tide of chronic absence, truancy, suspension, expulsion, dropouts, and

delinquency.

3. Development of an Evaluation Plan for documentation of effectiveness of the three components.

Acknowledging the communication challenge from school district to nonprofit to governmental units

provided an awareness of potential stumbling blocks. Following this activity and discussion of lesson to

be learned, the group selected a subcommittee of interest. Each sub-committee (Prevention, Intervention

and Management) elected a chair, recorder, and developed a work group roster and schedule. Each sub-

committee was asked to consider ground rules that included:

Culture, ethnicity and language barriers in every program discussion and suggestion.

6 | P a g e

For every program proposal, identify a “must have” list of partners and “must have”

Communication process.

Recommend three (3) “Carrot” approaches for every “Stick” approach.

Follow the recommended Outline when submitting a strategic evidence based program.

On April 25, 2012, the open invitation committee welcomed new participants and met at the Tarrant

County College District NW Campus, Michael Saenz Conference Room and reviewed a quote by

Frederick Douglass, “it’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Most of the meeting

time was devoted to subcommittee work group members presenting successful evidenced based

programs. Prior to the meeting adjournment, each subcommittee reported on current progress to the

committee at large. Each subcommittee was challenged to meet prior to the next large group meeting in

order to expedite completion of a draft plan.

On June 6, 2012, the open invitation committee continued to welcome new participants and met

at the Pat May Center in Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. Arlington, Everman, and

Fort Worth ISD representatives reported on the student focus groups held in May at two middle schools,

one junior high school and three high schools by the Center for School Engagement, Colorado Springs,

Colorado. The consensus was that although CDs were given as participation incentives, students

appeared to just be pleased to be asked their opinions and not necessarily primarily motivated by an

incentive.

A narrative document will be produced by the Center for School Engagement in mid-July and finalized

in August. An outline for Truancy Plan completion was presented by the chair to include:

Collection of subcommittee recommendations of successful evidence based programs by June

30, 2012.

Development of a Table of Contents; narrative and plan compilation in July and August.

School Start Window completion September 28, 2012. (This is the deadline that Texas Education

Agency gives school districts to enroll all students without being charged with students as

dropouts.)

Document sent to committee for review and edit suggestions in September 2012.

October 2012 Subcommittee meeting to discuss and submit edit suggestions

In late August, the National Center for School Engagement completed its report, “Teach from the

Heart,” from three focus groups of middle or junior high school students and three focus groups of ninth

through twelfth grade students in three county districts. Insights identified included:

Many home environments dampen, rather than reinforce their child’s motivation to strive for

excellence in school.

Students do not seem to make a distinction between on-campus and off-campus environments.

Police tickets seem to serve to alienate students from school and seem to be the entrance to what

is commonly known as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Students presented mixed opinions of discipline.

Academic achievement seems to be hindered by policies such as locking students out of class

when tardy or without an identification badge.

Student motivation varies from satisfied to “just pass” and get to the next grade to a strong focus

on “doing your best” that impacts your future options.

7 | P a g e

The National Center’s report included several options to address both disciplinary and attendance

issues. Next steps included the following options:

Do not withhold learning as a punishment.

Address the root causes of disciplinary infractions through restorative justice practices.

Require effective classroom management training for all teachers.

Increase the frequency of unscheduled classroom observations by principals and master teachers.

8 | P a g e

Every Student Counts

Positive Solutions in Curbing the Links that Connect

Absence to Dropping Out of School and Delinquency

Executive Summary

Background:

In 2010, Every Student Counts: A REPORT ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS RELATED

TO TRUANCY AND SCHOOL DROPOUTS AND SOME PROPOSED SOLUTIONS was

presented to a group of Tarrant County school districts, police departments, juvenile justice and court

staff, and county commissioners. A community based planning committee was established to develop a

Tarrant County Truancy Plan.

February 2, 2012, a community group of some 40 persons met at the Arlington ISD Woodrow

Counts Administration Building, Arlington Independent School District to discuss the attendance,

truancy, delinquency, and court issues plaguing Tarrant County. Representatives from Texas Appleseed,

an Austin-based policy think tank and The National Center for School Engagement, a Colorado-based

research firm joined the conversation. The basis for the conversation was the reference to pages 14, 55,

75, 86, and 154 from the 2011 North Central Texas Countywide Criminal Justice Community Plan. In

summary of that meeting, the group decided to form an open county-wide planning committee. The

committee would meet to identify specific concerns, issues, roadblocks and evidence based successful

strategies. The target product would be a Tarrant County Truancy Plan.

In early spring 2012, open invitation meetings were held across the county and established three

major activities to be accomplished.

4. The need for some targeted qualitative assessment. With funding from the County

Commissioner’s Court, Arlington, Everman, and Fort Worth Independent School Districts were

selected to participate in a student focus group study in May 2012. The Center for School

Engagement was selected to complete the study.

5. Development of a three component plan that had flexibility for all the diverse communities

within Tarrant County under the headings of successful evidence based:

a. Prevention Strategies,

b. Intervention Strategies,

9 | P a g e

c. Management Strategies, and

d. Acknowledgement that the local school district(s), police department(s), and court

system(s) would need to meet and select components in each strategy area to turn the

growing tide of chronic absence, truancy, suspension, expulsion, dropouts, and

delinquency.

6. Development of an Evaluation Plan for documentation of effectiveness of the three components.

Acknowledging the communication challenge from school district to nonprofit to governmental units

provided an awareness of potential stumbling blocks. Following this activity and discussion of lesson to

be learned, the group selected a subcommittee of interest. Each sub-committee (Prevention, Intervention

and Management) elected a chair, recorder, and developed a work group roster and schedule. Each sub-

committee was asked to consider ground rules that included:

Culture, ethnicity and language barriers in every program discussion and suggestion.

For every program proposal, identify a “must have” list of partners and “must have”

Communication process.

Recommend three (3) “Carrot” approaches for every “Stick” approach.

Follow the recommended Outline when submitting a strategic evidence based program.

During the spring 2012 semester, the committee welcomed new participants and met in large and

subcommittee work groups. Work acknowledged a quote by Frederick Douglass, “it’s easier to build

strong children than to repair broken men.” An outline for Truancy Plan completion was presented by

the chair to include:

Collection of subcommittee recommendations of successful evidence based programs by June

30, 2012.

Development of a Table of Contents; narrative and plan compilation in July and August.

School Start Window completion September 28, 2012. (This is the deadline that Texas Education

Agency gives school districts to enroll all students without being charged with students as

dropouts.)

Document sent to committee for review and edit suggestions in September 2012.

October 2012 meeting to review a final draft of the Plan.

10 | P a g e

In late August, the National Center for School Engagement completed its report, “Teach from the

Heart,” from three focus groups of middle or junior high school students and three focus groups of ninth

through twelfth grade students in three county districts. Insights identified included:

Many home environments dampen, rather than reinforce their child’s motivation to strive for

excellence in school.

Students do not seem to make a distinction between on-campus and off-campus environments.

Police tickets seem to serve to alienate students from school and seem to be the entrance to what

is commonly known as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”

Students presented mixed opinions of discipline.

Academic achievement seems to be hindered by policies such as locking students out of class

when tardy or without an identification badge.

Student motivation varies from satisfied to “just pass” and get to the next grade to a strong focus

on “doing your best” that impacts your future options.

The National Center’s report included several options to address both disciplinary and attendance

issues. Next steps included the following options:

Do not withhold learning as a punishment.

Address the root causes of disciplinary infractions through restorative justice practices.

Require effective classroom management training for all teachers.

Increase the frequency of unscheduled classroom observations by principals and master

teachers.

11 | P a g e

The Tarrant County Issues:

Chronic Absence, Truancy, Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out, Delinquency

Demographics of Tarrant County by School District

Organization

# o

f Stu

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ts

African

Am

. %

Hisp

anic %

Wh

ite %

Lim

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ng

lish

Pro

ficient

Discip

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Placem

ents

Eco

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Disad

van

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%

At –

Risk

%

4 Y

r. Co

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letion

Dro

p O

ut %

Atten

dan

ce

Texas 4,912,385 12 50.3 31.2 59.2 16.9 1.9 46.3 7.3 95.5

Region 11 540,157 13.8 32.8 46 47.8 14.3 1.7 39 6.6 95.7

Arlington 64,380 23.2 41.8 26.2 23.3 2.1 63.1 52.3 8.2 95.6

Azle 5,754 0.9 16.9 78.6 3.8 2.5 47.2 38.5 0.3 94.7

Birdville 23,441 6.7 36.9 48.3 16.1 1.6 54.8 45.0 6.0 95.7

Carroll 7,642 1.9 6.4 81.0 0.6 0.3 1.9 9.3 0 96.6

Castleberry 3,604 1.2 73.8 23.4 29.7 1.4 84.5 76.1 7.8 95.5

Crowley 15,141 40.2 21.6 26.2 10.3 2.6 53.4 44.7 8.1 95.4

Everman 5,056 44.1 47.0 6.3 23.5 4.4 85.5 70.2 9.9 95.1

Fort Worth 81,511 23.4 59.2 14.3 28.3 2.5 75.6 48.3 17.2 94.9

Grapevine/Colleyville 13,614 4.2 19.8 64.2 8.3 0.9 20.0 22.2 1.0 96.5

Hurst/Euless/Bedford 21,000 15.6 26.9 45.6 11.8 1.0 50.5 37.0 1.9 96.5

Keller 32,613 7.7 18.2 63.3 5.5 0.6 20.1 26.8 2.7 95.7

Lake Worth 3,170 11.7 53.7 31.0 17.5 2.5 75.0 53.6 4.5 95.0

Mansfield 32,208 25.6 23.7 40.2 10.5 1.4 37.1 33.2 5.2 96.2

Saginaw 16,664 9.5 35.0 48.0 7.2 1.4 40.1 38.0 4.4 95.5

White Settlement 6,271 6.4 32.9 54.8 8.1 2.5 53.6 45.2 4.6 94.4

Source: Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System, 2011 (2010-2011 data)

Referring to the chart above, Region 11 must be acknowledged as larger than Tarrant County

with small districts in rural areas, but does provide some comparison for county-wide issues. Each

district must identify its own ranking within the community and make decisions related to actions to be

taken.

Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning Suggested Programs for

PREVENTION – Chronic Absence

Program 1: Truancy Prevention Mediation Program, Dispute Resolution Services of NTx

Ages 4 – 12

Summary: During the 2009 school year, Arlington ISD began a pilot program with Dispute Resolution

Services (DRS), the agency that Tarrant County contracts with for mediation services. Part of their

contract with the county includes working with local school districts to offer mediation services. In

2009, five AISD elementary schools, selected because of their lower Average Daily Attendance (ADA)

rates were chosen by AISD administrators to participate in the project. Students with excessive

12 | P a g e

absences or tardies were referred to DRS. DRS acts as an independent non-biased third party to contact

the parents of the student and set up a meeting with the parent and the school. DRS provides trained

volunteer mediators that work with the school and the parent to find solutions to improve the student’s

attendance. Often simple solutions such as assisting a parent with transportation, an alarm clock or

childcare are the answer. In other cases, impressing upon the family the importance of attendance and

of their legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school is all that is needed.

Important Definitions per Attendance Works (www.attendanceworks.org):

Average Daily Attendance: The percentage of enrolled students who attend school each day.

Satisfactory Attendance: Missing 5% or less of school in an academic year.

Chronic Absence: Missing 10% or more of school in an academic year for any reason—excused or

unexcused.

Severe Chronic Absence: Missing 20% or more days of school per year –approximately two months of

school.

Program 2: Teacher Home Visits

Summary: Chapel Hill Academy (elementary charter school), initiated Teacher Home Visits prior to

the first day of elementary school. Teachers made pre-first day home visits to approximately 40 students

who had been identified in the prior year as having indications of chronic absences or tardies.

Program 3: Attendance Incentives for Parents/Students

Summary: Chapel Hill Academy (elementary charter school) has implemented a wide array of

incentives to promote certain behaviors for parents and children. Specifically for parents, the use of

incentives has been a positive predictor of success. Rewards have included flat screen televisions, Blu-

ray DVD’s, iPads or iPhones, laptop computers, etc. Incentives can be powerful motivating factors in

any person’s life. The use of incentives to promote on-time attendance for students is not new and is

implemented in many schools. For elementary levels, parent incentives can be a stronger factor toward

the on-time attendance for students. While a yearly incentive can be useful, a shorter term incentive

promotion can be more productive. Six (6) week promotions provide an opportunity to encourage a

family to “get back on track” despite earlier problems with attendance in the year. A subsequent lower

value promotion for students is also recommended. These incentives can include free dress days or

lower value items (gift cards, etc.).

Program 4: On-Site Therapeutic Family Counseling

Summary: For many low-income families, there are a number of barriers that may inhibit their ability to

ensure their children are in school on time. These familial issues may include trauma, domestic

violence, lack of familial communication, basic life skills, etc. Professional counseling has shown to

13 | P a g e

significantly improve these aspects for families. In addition, students with improved family/home

stability generally improve academically, socially, and behaviorally.

Program 5: Santa Fe Youth Services Strengthening Families Program – Ages 9 - 16

Summary: Santa Fe Youth Services has been implementing The Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

for over 10 years. SFP is an evidence-based program where parents and youth attend separate groups for

the first hour, then work together in family sessions in the second hour. All of the sessions include

interactive activities that promote positive relationships and are facilitated by specially trained Santa Fe

Youth Services staff. The groups are held in various locations throughout Tarrant County, including

Arlington, Keller, Crowley and other surrounding municipalities. All parent groups are offered in

English and Spanish.

School Counselors, Parent Liaisons, community members, Juvenile and Family Courts, CPS, and

parents can contact Santa Fe Youth Services for information and to enroll in the program. Parents are

given a brief overview of the program and the date and time, sent an Informational Packet and an

invitation to attend an Orientation Group.

While participating in the SFP, youth learn how to deal with peer pressure, how to handle angry feelings

and manage stress, how to choose positive friends, and how to appreciate their families/caregivers. The

parents learn what to expect from their teenagers, how to set limits and discipline children in a caring

manner, and how to have a greater understanding of the challenges of their teenager. The family learns

to solve problems together, to communicate and appreciate each other’s views, and how to have fun

together. Incentives are offered each week such as dinner, transportation, childcare for those children

too young to participate, and a bag of groceries.

There are 14 educational classes, held for 14 consecutive weeks. Each week’s session includes the youth

and parent group and the family group. Enrollment is accepted until the third week and make-up groups

are offered to those who are absent. Each family is contacted weekly by phone to ensure they will be

able to attend and follow up on any issues or concerns they may be experiencing.


INTERVENTION – Truancy

What is Truancy in Texas?

Truancy is the absence of a student without a valid excuse from school or class during a regular

school day.

The Texas Education Code, Sections 25.085 (a) and (b), state that a child who is at least six years

of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade,

and has not reached the child’s 18th

birthday shall attend school each school day for the entire

period the program of instruction is provided.

If the student fails to attend school without a valid excuse for 10 days or parts of days within a

six month period or for 3 days or parts of days within a four-week period, the parent and student

are subject to prosecution.

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How do districts respond to truancy issues?

Students are referred to their respective District Attendance/Truancy Officer who will contact the

student and conference with them and/or their parents. A warning letter regarding the student’s

attendance and stating the consequences of violating truancy laws shall be mailed to the student’s

residence.

Cases will be filed in court, and consequences can result in fines up to $500 for each day the

student remains truant from school. Other consequences are loss of VOE (TEA) forms necessary

for driver’s education, suspension of driver’s license or permit, referral to the juvenile probation

department, and/or a warrant for the arrest of the parent or student may be issued.

The Compulsory School Attendance Policy states that 90% attendance in each class or subject

offered is mandatory for all students. If a student fails to attend 90% of the days of instruction,

credit may be lost, and promotion to the next grade may be in jeopardy.

It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to call the school by a district designated time

each day a student is absent to explain the absence of the student. Absences not cleared will

remain unexcused.

Program 1: Intervention Attendance Incentive Program (AIP), H-E-B I.S.D. Truancy Department –

Ages 9 - 12

Summary: The Attendance Incentive Program (AIP) was implemented at the beginning of the school

year 2010-2011 as a pilot program to address chronic attendance issues in a positive approach as

opposed to a punitive approach. The initial target population for the pilot program was 4th

, 5th

, and 6th

graders (elementary campuses) who had at least 5 “incidents” the previous 6-week period (an incident

being defined as an unexcused absence or a tardy to school).

At the beginning of each 6-week period, the campus administrator identifies 20 – 40 students

meeting target criteria. An attendance / truancy officer visits the student at school and explains the

details of the AIP, as well as the incentive for meeting the requirements. The parent is also contacted and

made aware of the AIP and the participation requirements. The student and parent are informed that the

student cannot have an unexcused absence or tardy during the 6-week period in order to be eligible to

participate. If the student does not meet those requirements, then he/she will not be eligible to

participate.

The incentives range from a field trip to tour Cowboys Stadium; attending a Dallas Mavericks

game; attending a Texas Rangers game; attending a party at IT’Z Pizza and Games; or Games 2 U party

at the campus. The activities are provided at no cost to the parent or student. The bus transportation is

provided by the District and is funded by the campuses that have students participating in that particular

AIP. The remainder of the cost is covered by a non-profit organization in the community. Chaperones

for the students include the truancy department staff as well as volunteers from the campuses and the

community.

Program 2: Williamson County Neighborhood Conference Committee– Ages 13 - 15

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Summary: The Neighborhood Conference Committee (NCC) of Williamson County consists of local

citizens in the community providing services to students who are first-time truant offenders. The student

and his/her family are referred to NCC by the local school district. The family meets with a panel of

volunteers to establish the root of the truancy problem. Together the student, family, and the NCC panel

develop a positive action plan. The action plan outlines the requirements that the student must

successfully complete without having to go through a formal court hearing. The action plan requires the

student to develop a graduation plan, a career plan, and to participate in appropriate activities such as

community service, mentoring, and/or expressing an apology to a victim. The action plan may also

include referrals for support services such as parent/child mediations and parent groups. NCC also

provides an avenue for expressing the community’s concern to the student to help the student generate a

sense of responsibility and opportunities for personal growth and development In terms of financing,

two Justices of the Peace charge a $5 fee on all court cases (there is a provision in TX law that permits

such a fee) to help fund the NCC.

Also, the school districts pay on-site coordinators for the committee. The NCC also landed a

$50,000 grant to pay for a case manager who complements the work of the coordinator. The case

manager handles the day-to-day details, while the coordinator works on networking and connecting with

volunteers.

Program 3: Lena Pope’s Second Opportunity for Success – Ages 11- 18

Summary: Lena Pope Home’s Second Opportunity for Success (SOS) program – The SOS program is

a strengths-based program focused on building relationships with both youth and parents. Referrals

have come from Ft. Worth Police Department and surrounding police departments as well as the Ft.

Worth ISD truancy court. Families have also self-referred.

The SOS program is a diversionary program that was originally developed in 1999 through

collaboration with Lena Pope Home (LPH) and other community members including Tarrant County

Juvenile Services as an alternative to incarceration for a first offense.This program gives youth an

oppportunity for a second chance. It has evolved over the years and been adapted to provide services

for different populations. The program utilizes a strengths-based approach to personal responsibility.

The curriculum is compiled of evidence-based practices and has been developed through research on a

variety of topics addressing issues leading to delinquent behavior. Topic areas include school

attendance, substance abuse, peer pressure, choices, decision making, family relationships substance

abuse, etc. This program has been shown to be successful with a first time truancy youth and chronic

truancy.

A referral is made to the SOS program by the referring agent. Referring agents could be: direct

parent referral, school counselors, administrative personnel, truancy officers, J. P. courts, etc. The

family is then contacted by a representative form the program in an effort to engage the family. Once

an intake date is set, the family participates in an initial assessment. This is an opportunity to determine

factors contributing to the reason for the referral.

This program is mobile. It has been provided in Arlington, Hurst, Euless, and is currently offered

in one southwest Ft. Worth location and the city of Azle.

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There are seven (7) psycho-educational classes. Each week’s session is all-inclusive so a family can

start at any time. They will need to complete all seven classes before graduating to the follow up

component of the program. The follow up component of the program lasts a minimum of 90 days. This

includes school visits, phone contact, follow up parent meetings if requested, and case management.

The target age group is as young as 11 and up to age 18.

Program 4: AimTruancy Solutions – Ages 11 - 18

Summary: Solutions (Aim) is an early identification and intervention program for chronic truants.

Specifically, Aim is a year-long, innovative truancy reduction program that not only identifies at-risk

students, but also gets them back into the classroom, on track to graduate, and out of the juvenile

courts. Aim partners with schools, law enforcement, juvenile justice, community based

organizations, and other agencies that recognize the link between truancy reduction and student

success.

Aim was developed in 2005 by Paul Pottinger, PhD, a clinical psychologist (former Executive

Director of Dallas Challenge) and Shelton Stogner, head of the Dallas County Truancy Enforcement

Center at the request of the Dallas County Commissioners Court. Over the past seven years, Dallas-

based Aim has grown throughout Texas, California, Louisiana, and Kentucky successfully partnering

with hundreds of schools and thousands of students as part of various truancy reduction and dropout

prevention initiatives.

AimTruancy Solutions is a proven truancy reduction program by which students build success through

two key functions: mentoring and monitoring.

Mentoring: intense, bilingual, one-on-one mentoring with carefully chosen, educated and

trained mentors, provides the positive support and guidance that has proven to help truant youth

change their thinking, behaviors, and lives.

Monitoring: State-of-the-art handheld GPS technology starts truants on the path to

accountability, allows them to opt-out of bad behavior, and allows for immediate intervention

when necessary.

Program 5: Parenting with Love and Limits, Lena Pope Home – Ages 10 - 18

Summary: Lena Pope Home’s Parenting with Love and Limits is a recognized, evidence-based

program developed by Dr. Scott Sells. The model is a blending of structural and strategic family

therapy and is manualized. Consultation is provided on a regular basis by the developer of the model to

ensure adherence to the model. Parents and youth meet together in the first hour then separate in the

second hour to address the topic presented more specifically. There are six groups. Once a group

begins, it is considered closed. New families can not be added.

The family therapist that provides the groups for the adults will continue to provide “coaching”,

i.e. family therapy for at least 3 sessions to assist the family in practicing what they have learned. This

program was originally funded by a grant throught the State of Texas Prevention and Early

Intervention Department. The funding ended two years ago. Referrals have been accepted from school

districts, police departments, the FWISD Truancy Intervention project and self referral.

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Parenting with Love and Limits®(PLL) is the first evidence-based program of its kind to combine a 6-

week parent education and group therapy program with 4 or more individual “coaching” (family

therapy) sessions for adolescents and their parents. PLL is designed for youth between 10 and 18. The

Parenting with Love and Limits is a program developed to work with pre-adjudicated youth.

Program 6: Santa Fe Youth Services – Reconnecting Youth Program – Grades 9 – 12

Summary: Reconnecting Youth Program (RY) is an intervention program for reducing drop-out rates,

drug abuse, and increase students’ mood management. The evidence-based program has been

recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Drug

Abuse as a model program to help students learn, practice, and apply decision-making skills, personal

control strategies, and interpersonal communication techniques.

The RY Program incorporates social support and life skills training into a daily, semester-long

class using a 52-lesson daily curriculum. The class meets daily for a full semester as part of the regular

school curriculum and is taken as an elective credit. The program is an approved Texas Education

Agency (TEA) Innovative Course.

Students who successfully complete RY receive .5 state elective credit. RY classes are facilitated

by a specially trained Santa Fe Youth Services staff member who excels in working with high school

youth. RY has proven to be a life-changing program, providing high school students the opportunity

to take charge of their own destiny, and set themselves on a pth towards indipendence and success. The

key features integrated into the daily RY class are group support and caring to enhance feeling of

acceptance and belonging; life skills training to enhance protective factors by devloping problem

solving skills and learning to manage mod to help with peers and family members; monitoring of

program goals to help establish and maintain personal control; and, school bonding/social activities to

foster healthy choices in friends and activities.

Program 7: Success Lasts a Lifetime with Job Corps – Age 16 and older

Summary: Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career,

earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible young people at least

16 years of age that qualify as low income, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed

in a career and in life.

Job Corps is the nation's largest career technical training and education program for young people at

least 16 years of age that qualify as low income. A voluntary program administered by the U.S.

Department of Labor, Job Corps provides eligible young men and women with an opportunity to gain

the experience they need to begin a career or advance to higher education. Job Corps has 125 centers

nationwide, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Job Corps offers hands-on training in

more than 100 career technical area including: automotive and machine repair, construction, finance

and business services, health care, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, renewable

resources, and many more. All training programs are aligned with industry certifications and are

designed to meet the requirements of today's careers. Job Corps also offers the opportunity to earn a

high school diploma or a GED for those youth who don't have either. For youth who already have a

18 | P a g e

high school diploma, Job Corps can help them prepare for college through partnerships with local

colleges. Youth must live on campus.

Resources are also available for English Language Learners. Courses in independent living,

employability skills, and social skills are offered to all Job Corps students in order to help them make

the transition into the workplace.

The program includes:

Career Preparation Period (CPP)

Career Development Period (CDP)

Career Transition Period (CTP)


MANAGEMENT – Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out and Delinquency

Problem Solving Model

Summary: The Criminal Justice system needs to effectively address both the social and criminal factors

contributing to chronic absence and truancy from school utilizing a problem-solving model that works in

conjunction with a multitude of resources throughout the community.

Through multiple discussions, the overwhelming theme was the desire to find a more effective

way of “working” truancy cases that has reached the level of the court system. County Commissioners

can appoint a judge, but currently, truancy cases are referred to the Justice of the Peace court or

municipal courts in the school’s dedicated county precinct and are prosecuted under the Texas Education

Code Sec. 25.094 Failure to Attend School, a class C Misdemeanor. In the State of Texas, a class C

Misdemeanor is punishable by a fine only, not to exceed $500. This level of offense and the size of

Tarrant County require that truancy related cases are filed in either a Justice or Municipal Court or a

Constitutional County Court. Tarrant County currently has no provisions for truancy cases to be heard in

a Constitutional County Court.

Social Problems

Human Problems

= Legal

Problems

19 | P a g e

During the planning process, the subcommittee quickly identified the fact that the dedicated

court was the key factor in an effective county-wide plan to address this issue and recommend that the

county make the creation of this court a priority. A “snap-shot” of what the court should look like was

developed.

1. The dedicated court should be under the authority of the Constitutional County Court.

2. The court should work closely with social service providers identified and utilized through the

intervention phase.

3. The court should be implemented through a partnership with dedicated school district(s).

4. The court should initially place a focus on cases being filed within a particular High School

network or within a particular county precinct. This will allow for a smooth transition and data

collection of effectiveness.

5. The court should be comprised of the following key components:

Judge To oversee the management process for absentee cases utilizing social services through arrangements with the prosecutor and hear cases that are ultimately being tried as criminal actions.

Prosecutor

A prosecutor that specializes in working with schools and law enforcement officials to determine underlying causes of chronic absences and differentiate between criminal behavior and social deficiencies.

Basic Court Staff (Judge, Bailiff, Court

Reporter, Coordinator) To conduct the daily operations of the court.

Program Manager* To coordinate and oversee the various social services and to work with directly with the prosecutor and families throughout the process.

Central Information Sharing System*

To provide a centralized location for an electronic case file in order to efficiently and accurately track families and their progress.

Committed School A district that is willing to actively contribute resources to work with the

Court

Schools

Police

Social Services

Families

20 | P a g e

District* court, law enforcement and social services to make the program work.

Committed Local Police Department

A department that is willing to contribute resources and train officers in providing appropriate information to the school district, social services and the court about at-risk families and chronic offenders.

Committed Constable’s Office

A Constable that is willing to work with the court and Program Manager to assist in serving court papers in a timely manner and assisting with home visits as necessary.

Structured Intake Process

To provide a means of evaluating the family’s needs quickly and efficiently and identify resources that have been provided or offered leading up to the court referral.

Interpreter An independent language interpreter to have the ability to communicate with family members in their spoken language.

Transportation* To address areas of the county where public transportation is scarce or non-existent and ultimately serves as a road block (or excuse) to court attendance.

Assessment*

A way to measure the effectiveness of the services provided, monitor school attendance once services are complete and provide continual support for the family to prevent recidivism. Social service providers support partners.

* Denotes what is seen as a crucial “key to success” for the program.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS by all Committee Members Present

Each sub-committee made recommendations. Following the posting of those recommendations,

presentation, and discussion, some recommendations were combined or modified. Each committee

member was given five weighted votes. Number 1 post-it was to be place on the person’s first

recommendation, then second, third, fourth, and then fifth action recommendation. Post-it numbers were

counted.

The prioritized recommendations follow:

1. Prepare Final Publication: Executive Summary; Power Point; and add a title Tarrant County

Truancy Solutions

This recommendation received fifteen #1 and one #3 selection

2. Send to Commissioner’s Court through Les Smith; have Commissioner’s Court communicate

with Superintendents and other stakeholders.

This recommendation received eight #2 selections and one for #1, #3, #4, #5.

21 | P a g e

3. Conduct a County-wide Needs Assessment or Localized with Identified Partners or Local Policy

and Practice Surveys ; Design a metrics of what data will be collected

This was a combination of two recommendations. One received six #3 selections and the

other six #4 selections.

4. Evaluations – Identify a point person that will collect data; Consider Stephan Ateek and rely on

agencies to report data; data to be collected must be identified prior to beginning action plan.

This received five #4 selections with no selections for #1 or #2 and one selection for 3

and #5.

5. Conduct a county-wide truancy summit including ISDs, law enforcement, social services, courts,

and other stakeholders and hold annual follow-up meetings.

The summit received ten #5 selections; with the follow-up meetings receiving five #5

selections.

22 | P a g e

Every Student Counts

Positive Solutions in Curbing the Links that Connect

Absence to Dropping Out of School and Delinquency

Comprehensive Report

The Issues:

Chronic Absence, Truancy, Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out, Delinquency

Demographics of Tarrant County by School District

Organization

# o

f Stu

den

ts

Africa

n A

m. %

Hisp

an

ic %

Wh

ite %

Lim

ited E

ng

lish

Pro

ficient

Discip

lina

ry

Pla

cem

ents

Eco

.

Disa

dv

an

tag

ed

%

At –

Risk

%

4 Y

r.

Co

mp

letion

Dro

p O

ut %

Atten

da

nce

Texas 4,912,385 12 50.3 31.2 59.2 16.9 1.9 46.3 7.3 95.5

Region 11 540,157 13.8 32.8 46 47.8 14.3 1.7 39 6.6 95.7

Arlington 64,380 23.2 41.8 26.2 23.3 2.1 63.1 52.3 8.2 95.6

Azle 5,754 0.9 16.9 78.6 3.8 2.5 47.2 38.5 0.3 94.7

Birdville 23,441 6.7 36.9 48.3 16.1 1.6 54.8 45.0 6.0 95.7

Carroll 7,642 1.9 6.4 81.0 0.6 0.3 1.9 9.3 0 96.6

Castleberry 3,604 1.2 73.8 23.4 29.7 1.4 84.5 76.1 7.8 95.5

Crowley 15,141 40.2 21.6 26.2 10.3 2.6 53.4 44.7 8.1 95.4

Everman 5,056 44.1 47.0 6.3 23.5 4.4 85.5 70.2 9.9 95.1

Fort Worth 81,511 23.4 59.2 14.3 28.3 2.5 75.6 48.3 17.2 94.9

Grapevine/Collyville 13,614 4.2 19.8 64.2 8.3 0.9 20.0 22.2 1.0 96.5

Hurst/Euless/Bedford 21,000 15.6 26.9 45.6 11.8 1.0 50.5 37.0 1.9 96.5

Keller 32,613 7.7 18.2 63.3 5.5 0.6 20.1 26.8 2.7 95.7

Lake Worth 3,170 11.7 53.7 31.0 17.5 2.5 75.0 53.6 4.5 95.0

Mansfield 32,208 25.6 23.7 40.2 10.5 1.4 37.1 33.2 5.2 96.2

Saginaw 16,664 9.5 35.0 48.0 7.2 1.4 40.1 38.0 4.4 95.5

White Settlement 6,271 6.4 32.9 54.8 8.1 2.5 53.6 45.2 4.6 94.4

Source: Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System, 2011 (2010-2011 data)

Referring to the chart above, Region 11 must be acknowledged as larger than Tarrant County

with small districts in rural areas, but does provide some comparison for county-wide issues. Each

district must identify its own ranking within the community and make decisions related to actions to be

taken.

Chronic Absence (presented from AttendanceWorks.org)

Chronic absence is a measure of how much school a student misses for any reason. It is a broader

measure than truancy, which only tracks unexcused absences. Starting in the early grades, chronic

absence levels can reach remarkably high levels. National data suggests one in 10 kindergartners misses

23 | P a g e

a month of school every year. In some districts, it runs as high as one in 4. The rates only get higher by

middle and high school when truancy grows worse.

Research backs up the common sense notion that children will do worse in school if they aren’t

in class to learn. An analysis of national sample of chronically absent kindergarten students (those

missing 10% of school days) revealed lower academic performance when they reach 1st grade. Reading

scores for Latino children were most affected. Among poor children, who lack the resources to make up

lost time, chronic absence in kindergarten translated into lower 5th

grade achievement.

By 6th

grade, chronic absence begins to predict high school dropout rates, a study of Baltimore

students showed. By ninth grade, missing 20% of school can better predict a dropout than eight-grade

test scores, Chicago researchers found. Along with behavior problems and failure of core academic

courses, poor student attendance is a critical early warning sign of a dropout.

Low-income children are disproportionately affected by chronic absence in the early grades.

They are more likely to miss too much school and more likely to fall behind in academics, particularly

reading, which is the focus of instruction in the primary grades. When chronic absence is too high, it can

affect all students, as teachers spend more time reviewing concept. In states where funding is tied to

attendance, chronic absence can cost schools money. In a Colorado study, they found that if just one

truant youth is turned around and he or she completes high school, the government savings pay for the

cost of a truancy reduction program for one year. If we also are able to keep the truant youth from

becoming delinquent, we can save an additional $800,000 in government costs (2002).

Most schools only pay attention to average daily attendance (the percentage of students who

show up each day to school) and unexcused absences (truancy.) Both figures can mask the problem with

chronic absence. For example, a school of 200 students with 95 percent average daily attendance could

still have 60 students missing a month of school over the course of the year. Average figures do not

reveal whether absences are spread evenly or whether they are concentrated, with a few students

experiencing excessive absences. At the same time, truancy figures underestimate the number of days

students are actually missing. Most young children typically don’t miss school without an adult calling

in an excuse. Overly punitive discipline codes that result in suspension for minor offenses, or even for

truancy, can exacerbate the chronic absence problem. (Suspensions are considered excused absences.)

What are schools across the nation doing about it? Chronic absence can be significantly reduced

when schools and communities work together. The most effective efforts:

Use data on chronic absence to identify patterns. The Oakland school district recently

completed an analysis that maps attendance patterns by neighborhood, by ethnicity and by grade.

The district has set goals for improvement and is monitoring the data regularly.

Take comprehensive approaches involving students, families, and community agencies.

Baltimore launched a citywide attendance initiative that makes chronic absence a focus and

addresses transportation, safety and health concerns.

24 | P a g e

Examine factors contributing to chronic absence. A Providence school interviewed parents

and found that those who worked overnight shifts were coming home and falling asleep before

bringing their children to school. The school opened an earlier day care program to help those

parents and saw attendance improve.

Pay attention to attendance early, ideally starting in pre-K, with special attention to

transition years: kindergarten, 6th

and 9th

grades. Chicago Public Schools have started

tracking attendance in their preschool programs.

Offer positive supports to promote attendance before resorting to punitive responses or

legal action. A New York State study found court action does little to reduce truancy.

At a National PTA Conference, March 11, 2009, Hedy Chang, Consultant, Annie E. Casey Foundation

presented research findings already presented above as well as the following:

Chronic early absence can reach high levels locally – as high as 25% district wide or half of all

the children in a particular elementary school.

The educational experience of regularly attending children can be adversely affected when

teachers must divert their attention to meet the needs of chronically absent children when they

return to school.

Chronic early absence could be a critical tool for identifying troubled children, families or

educational institutions early on before problems are more difficult to ameliorate.

Chronic absence is easily hidden by typically high elementary school attendance rates.

School data systems may underestimate prevalence of chronic absence because they do not

electronically track absences for individual children.

A high level of chronic absence suggests the existence of systemic issues affecting large numbers of

students and families.

School Related Factors – Does the school:

o Communicate the importance of attendance especially to families who speak

languages other than English?

o Monitor and reach out to families when children miss extended periods of time?

o Engage parents in their children’s education, including drawing upon family assets

and cultural resources?

o Provide a high quality, engaging and safe educational experience?

Family Related Factors – Are the families:

o Aware of the adverse impact of chronic early absence and have they developed

routines that promote consistent school attendance?

o Poor and lack the resources (transportation, food, clothing, social supports, etc.) to

ensure their children regularly attend school?

o Highly mobile?

o Have difficulty addressing and managing illness, especially chronic disease?

25 | P a g e

o Have a history of negative experiences with education and may not feel welcome in

schools?

o Face multiple risks (e.g. living in poverty, teen parenthood, single parenthood, low

maternal education, welfare, unemployment, food insecurity, poor maternal health

and multiple siblings)?

o Dealing with serious problems (e.g. mental illness, homelessness, child or domestic

abuse, incarceration of a parent, etc. that make school attendance difficult because

family life has been disrupted and public agencies and school lack a coordinated

response?

Community Related Factors – Is this an indication that the community

o Does not provide adequate support to help young children and families make a

positive transition into elementary school?

o Is severely distressed and lacks formal or informal supports to promote the positive

development of children including regular school attendance?

o Experiences high levels of violence that adversely affect family functioning and

getting children to school safely?

Dr. Chang presented the following Comprehensive Response that aligns with the national Response to

Intervention (RtI).

26 | P a g e

Adapted from:

Comprehensive Response to Attendance By Hedy Chang, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Tier 1: 100% Prevention

Offer incentives for attendance to all children

Encourage families to help each other attend school

Educate parents about the importance of attendance

Engage families of all backgrounds in their children’s education

Offer a high quality education responsive to diverse learning needs

Ensure access to preventative health care, especially as children enter

school

Prepare children for school through quality early care and education

experiences

Tier 2: up to 20% Intervention

Early outreach to families with poor attendance, as

appropriate, case management to address social,

medical economic and academic needs

Tier 3: 5% - 9%

Court Management

Coordinated public agency and,

if needed, legal response for

families in crisis

27 | P a g e



Program 1: Truancy Prevention Mediation Program, Dispute Resolution Services of NTx

Ages 4 – 12

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to Improving Attendance:

Lack of parental understanding of legal requirements for attendance

Disconnect between school attendance and academic success

Disconnect between academic success and quality of life

Lack of knowledge of existing resources and support for parents

Lack of chronic absence data may result in missed early warning signs

Disconnect between attendance and school funding

Early poor attendance habits may lead to truancy

Lack of mediation often results in cases reaching the attention of the courts

Summary: During the 2009 school year, Arlington ISD began a pilot program with Dispute Resolution

Services (DRS), the agency that Tarrant County contracts with for mediation services. Part of their

contract with the county includes working with local school districts to offer mediation services. In

2009, five AISD elementary schools, selected because of their lower Average Daily Attendance (ADA)

rates were chosen by AISD administrators to participate in the project. Students with excessive

absences or tardies were referred to DRS. DRS acts as an independent non-biased third party to contact

the parents of the student and set up a meeting with the parent and the school. DRS provides trained

volunteer mediators that work with the school and the parent to find solutions to improve the student’s

attendance. Often simple solutions such as assisting a parent with transportation, an alarm clock or

childcare are the answer. In other cases, impressing upon the family the importance of attendance and

of their legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school is all that is needed.

Important Definitions per Attendance Works (www.attendanceworks.org):

Average Daily Attendance: The percentage of enrolled students who attend school each day.

Satisfactory Attendance: Missing 5% or less of school in an academic year.

Chronic Absence: Missing 10% or more of school in an academic year for any reason—excused or

unexcused.

Severe Chronic Absence: Missing 20% or more days of school per year –approximately two months of

school.

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Success Data

In the second year of the program, there were 1,719 absences prior to mediation. That number was

reduced to 286 after mediation. In the same year, there were 3,271 tardies before mediation. That

number was reduced to 675 after mediation. Currently, DRS reports that it has more than two hundred

currently trained and active mediators to bring to an expansion of the program. While the first year

showed a 33% reduction in the number of absences, the second year showed an 80% reduction in the

number of absences.

Tracking chronic absence data is essential. AISD chose the five pilot schools based on average daily

attendance. Of the five schools selected for the pilot, two had 96.0% ADA and three had 96.1% ADA.

Of those five, chronic absence percentages were 10%, 9%, 8%, 10%, and 11%. The school with the

highest chronic absence (12%) was missed, and it had 96.2% ADA. There were 6 additional schools

that had higher ADA than the pilot schools yet equal or higher chronic absence that would not be

identified without the chronic absence data. For more information on chronic absence, see the

Attendance Works website: http://www.attendanceworks.org/.

Successful with:

All elementary schools in the pilot program are Title 1.

List needed partners:

District personnel and administration

PEIMS coordinator or other stats keeper

Campus administrators

Students

Parents

Dispute Resolution Services of North Texas (DRS)

Volunteer mediators – Trained and coordinated by DRS

The Parenting Center

Communication process required to succeed:

Clearly communicate the difference between chronic absence, average daily attendance, and

truancy to teachers, school administrators, parents, and the community.

Share data collected between schools in the district.

When a child misses 3 days of school without a proper excuse and/or 10 tardies, the school data

clerk submits a mediation referral to DRS.

DRS will contact the parent(s) informing them of the school referral and attempts to schedules a

mediation date.

The mediator goes to the school to mediate between the parent(s) and a school representative (A

designee of the campus – i.e. attendance officer, teacher, assistant principal)

Through mediation, the parent(s) and school representative share information that helps them to

better understand why the child has not been attending school and what can be done to remedy

the problem(s) that have caused repeated unexcused absences.

http://www.attendanceworks.org/

29 | P a g e

Arlington Police Department provided a community resource guide to DRS for mediators to use

in helping the parent(s) with resources needed to help get their child to school on time (financial

assistance, clean clothes, an alarm clock, etc.)

If DRS staff does not receive a response from a parent, AISD Truancy Officers will be notified.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:

Run chronic absence data report at the end of each semester to monitor progress and determine

which schools have the greatest need for mediation assistance.

o Steven Harvey, Assistant Superintendent at AISD, was instrumental in gathering the data

from their PEIMS system.

DRS collects the following:

o School name; Intake ID #; Client name; Intake Date; Closure date; Prior absences; Prior

tardies; After absence; After tardies; Reason for Student Attendance Problem; gender;

race.

Cost / Funding:

There is no additional cost. DRS is a contract mediation group funded through the Tarrant County

General Fund. School based mediation services are included in that contract with Tarrant County.

Mediators are trained community volunteers.

It is important to note that attendance rates are closely tied to school funding. Also important to note is

that according to one report: “There is evidence suggesting that missing school negatively relates to

academic achievement.” Gottfried, Michael, The Detrimental Effect of Missing School: Evidence from

Urban Siblings, American Journal of Education, v. 117, no. 2, Feb. 2011, p. 147-182

Program 2: Teacher Home Visits








Summary: Chapel Hill Academy (elementary charter school), initiated Teacher Home Visits prior to

the first day of elementary school. Teachers made pre-first day home visits to approximately 40 students

who had been identified in the prior year as having indications of chronic absences or tardies.

Success Data: On time attendance in the 40 students improved by 75%.

Successful with: Chapel Hill Academy is a Title I elementary school with approximately 70+%

economically disadvantaged students.


30 | P a g e

Teachers

School Administration

School Counselors


A “top down” communication on the importance of this strategy will be critical.

Teachers will need to be educated on how to conduct appropriate, strengths-based home visits.


A target list of elementary students with a prior history of chronic absences and tardies should

serve as the initial population. Following home visits, attendance/tardies can be tracked in the

school database to determine efficacy of the intervention. Those students/families who cannot be

reached for a home visit could serve as a “control group” for the intervention.

Cost / Funding: One staff day

While this may be significant, any minor increase in ADA would more than offset the cost.

Program 3: Attendance Incentives for Parents/Students








Summary: Chapel Hill Academy (elementary charter school) has implemented a wide array of

incentives to promote certain behaviors for parents and children. Specifically for parents, the use of

incentives has been a positive predictor of success. Rewards have included flat screen televisions, Blu-

ray DVD’s, iPads or iPhones, laptop computers, etc. Incentives can be powerful motivating factors in

any person’s life. The use of incentives to promote on-time attendance for students is not new and is

implemented in many schools. For elementary levels, parent incentives can be a stronger factor toward

the on-time attendance for students. While a yearly incentive can be useful, a shorter term incentive

promotion can be more productive. Six (6) week promotions provide an opportunity to encourage a

family to “get back on track” despite earlier problems with attendance in the year. A subsequent lower

value promotion for students is also recommended. These incentives can include free dress days or

lower value items (gift cards, etc.).

Success Data - N/A

Successful with: Title I elementary school, approximately 70+% economically disadvantaged students

31 | P a g e


Principals

Teachers

School Counselors

Donors/Sponsors (if available)


Process needs to be widely and clearly communicated with families and students to avoid any

misunderstandings which could prove counterproductive.


School attendance tracking can be utilized to determine success for any promotions. If desired, some six

week periods may not have an incentive promotion allowing for comparison to other periods with

incentives.

Cost / Funding:

Minimal versus the benefit of increased ADA for the school/district. Costs can be variable based on

available resources.

Program 4: On-Site Therapeutic Family Counseling





Issues with trauma, domestic violence, and basic life skills

Poor communication

Summary: For many low-income families, there are a number of barriers that may inhibit their ability to

ensure their children are in school on time. These familial issues may include trauma, domestic

violence, lack of familial communication, basic life skills, etc. Professional counseling has shown to

significantly improve these aspects for families. In addition, students with improved family/home

stability generally improve academically, socially, and behaviorally.

Success Data: Since “control” groups are not feasible with counseling, success data from large scale

research projects must be taken into account. Research studies on counseling efforts have shown

improved results for families and their children. A logical correlation is that these improvements result

in better outcomes for children, including school attendance.

Successful with: While all families in stress can benefit from professional counseling, these services for

low-income families are more difficult to access since they do not have the resources (insurance or

private pay).

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School administration (budget)

Principals

School counselors (for referrals)

Teachers (for referrals)

Community agency to provide services at reduced rates.


It is essential to communicate the purpose of counseling to families. This becomes an important task for

the school counselor or principal.


Attendance and academic improvement data should be easily collected to determine improvement for

the student.

Cost / Funding:

Depending on the number of families and sessions, cost can be significant. Partnering with a local

agency to provide these services at a reduced cost or through Medicaid billing can mitigate the expense.

Program 5: Santa Fe Youth Services Strengthening Families Program – Ages 9 - 16

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to improving Attendance:

Lack of ability to control actions/behaviors (particularly in high risk children)

Lack of ability to adequately manage emotions

History of school failure

Lack of ability to interact in social settings

Unable to appropriately problem-solve

Difficulty communicating

Unable to resist peer pressure or recognize negative and positive influences

Unable to identify reasons to attend school

Limited parent involvement in academic success

Inability to recognize school attendance relates to school success

Family identifies more important needs/problems than school attendance

Victimized at school

Family issues or abuse in the home

Summary: Santa Fe Youth Services has been implementing The Strengthening Families Program (SFP)

for over 10 years. SFP is an evidence-based program where parents and youth attend separate groups for

the first hour, then work together in family sessions in the second hour. All of the sessions include

interactive activities that promote positive relationships and are facilitated by specially trained Santa Fe

Youth Services staff. The groups are held in various locations throughout Tarrant County, including

Arlington, Keller, Crowley and other surrounding municipalities. All parent groups are offered in

English and Spanish.

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School Counselors, Parent Liaisons, community members, Juvenile and Family Courts, CPS, and

parents can contact Santa Fe Youth Services for information and to enroll in the program. Parents are

given a brief overview of the program and the date and time, sent an Informational Packet and an

invitation to attend an Orientation Group.

While participating in the SFP, youth learn how to deal with peer pressure, how to handle angry feelings

and manage stress, how to choose positive friends, and how to appreciate their families/caregivers. The

parents learn what to expect from their teenagers, how to set limits and discipline children in a caring

manner, and how to have a greater understanding of the challenges of their teenager. The family learns

to solve problems together, to communicate and appreciate each other’s views, and how to have fun

together. Incentives are offered each week such as dinner, transportation, childcare for those children

too young to participate, and a bag of groceries.

There are 14 educational classes, held for 14 consecutive weeks. Each week’s session includes the youth

and parent group and the family group. Enrollment is accepted until the third week and make-up groups

are offered to those who are absent. Each family is contacted weekly by phone to ensure they will be

able to attend and follow up on any issues or concerns they may be experiencing.

Success Data:

Since 2001, Santa Fe Youth Services has provided SFP to approximately 4000 Tarrant County families,

with a success rate of 85%. This program was initially awarded funding in 2001 through the Texas

Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. It was again refunded in 2004 and 2008 through the

Department of State Health Services.

Successful with:

SFP was developed to work with a broad range of demographics, including Hispanics (70%), African

Americans (18%), and Caucasian (10%), with the highest demographic being Hispanic.


School District personnel and administration

Students

Parents

Law enforcement

Area Juvenile Services

Juvenile and Family Courts


Referral Process – ensuring that all schools and local partners are familiar with Santa Fe Youth Services

and the Strengthening Families Program.

Staff visits schools, law enforcement agencies, and courts to share information and leave

brochures for dissemination.

Continue to communicate with families once referral is received through the end of the group

cycle.

Identify other services family may need and make referrals; follow up to ensure contact is made.

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Student demographic information: grade, age, race, and gender, campus

Completion of 14 groups

Completion of Pre and Post Test

Exit Questionnaire

Cost/ Funding:

The program is currently grant funded through Department of State Health Services and there is no cost

to the youth or family.

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Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning

INTERVENTION - Truancy

On October 15, 2009, The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention posted a Truancy Literature Review prepared by Marth Yeide and Mel Kobrin, Development

Services Group, Inc. Their scope of the problem identified that habitual truancy can be defined as

unexcused absences from school by a minor that exceed the number of such absences allowed under

State law.

What is Truancy in Texas?

Truancy is the absence of a student without a valid excuse from school or class during a regular

school day.

The Texas Education Code, Sections 25.085 (a) and (b), state that a child who is at least six years

of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade,

and has not reached the child’s 18th

birthday shall attend school each school day for the entire

period the program of instruction is provided.

If the student fails to attend school without a valid excuse for 10 days or parts of days within a

six month period or for 3 days or parts of days within a four-week period, the parent and student

are subject to prosecution.

How do districts respond to truancy issues?

Students are referred to their respective District Attendance/Truancy Officer who will contact the

student and conference with them and/or their parents. A warning letter regarding the student’s

attendance and stating the consequences of violating truancy laws shall be mailed to the student’s

residence.

Cases will be filed in court, and consequences can result in fines up to $500 for each day the

student remains truant from school. Other consequences are loss of VOE (TEA) forms necessary

for driver’s education, suspension of driver’s license or permit, referral to the juvenile probation

department, and/or a warrant for the arrest of the parent or student may be issued.

The Compulsory School Attendance Policy states that 90% attendance in each class or subject

offered is mandatory for all students. If a student fails to attend 90% of the days of instruction,

credit may be lost, and promotion to the next grade may be in jeopardy.

It is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to call the school by a district designated time

each day a student is absent to explain the absence of the student. Absences not cleared will

remain unexcused.

From the Truancy Literature Review, truancy is on the rise. A 2007 study based on self-report data

from the Monitoring the Future survey, 11 percent of eighth graders and 16 percent of tenth graders

reported recent truancy. Reliable truancy data is difficult to find due to the variance of collection

processes. Since most school districts across the nation collect average daily attendance, significant

truancy rates are masked. Similarly, obscured is the significance of truancy statistics for secondary

schools; since dropouts in upper grades are not enrolled in any school, they are excluded from truancy

calculations (Heilbrunn, 2007; Levy and Henry, 2007). These same investigators also make the point

36 | P a g e

that only two thirds of ninth graders will graduate, thus statistical absence is greatly skewed. In large

longitudinal studies in Chicago and Philadelphia documentation of poor attendance is a primary driver

of course failure in the secondary grades, and that course failure is at the root of high dropout rates

(Balfanz it al. 2008). Low achievement, retention/overage for grade, and poor attendance were found to

significantly impact dropout rates at all school levels (Hammond et al. 2007).

Costs of truancy are high. The direct and indirect consequences of truancy for individuals, schools,

communities, and society in the short- and long-term are so serious, and truancy is so prevalent, that the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention named truancy reduction one of its national

priorities for 2003. Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs that youth

potentially are headed for delinquent activity, social isolation, or educational failure. Research has

shown that truancy is related to delinquency, substance use and abuse, high school dropout, suicidal

thoughts and attempts, and early sexual intercourse. The cost: according to the 2000 census while 83

percent of college graduates and 71 percent of high school graduates were employed, high school

dropouts had an employment rate of only 52 percent (Walker, 2007). Dropouts are poorly prepared to

enter the workforce and require greater expenditures for social services and criminal processes than do

graduates (Heilbrunn, 2007). Unemployment rates for dropouts are generally almost 20 percent higher

than for high school graduates. Absenteeism harms more than the individual, school districts are funded

according to their average daily attendance. A program in Fort Worth helped raise average daily

attendance from 93.8 percent in 2002-2003 to 94.9 percent in 2003-2004, this resulted in an additional

$4 million in revenue for the district (Murphy, 2005).

Community crime studies have shown that 60 percent of the juvenile crime occurred on weekdays

between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. (Baker, Sigmon, and Nugent, 2001). In a study by Henry and Huizinga

(2007), they found that the most robust predictors of truancy are school performance and involvement

with delinquent peers, though these two factors appear to behave synergistically so that truancy is

mitigated for those associating with delinquent peers but performing well in school.

Barriers facing truant youth are significant and often multifaceted. Data from OJJDP’s Truancy

Reduction Demonstration Programs showed that of the 634 students participating:

87% qualified for free or reduced price lunch

36% lived with only one adult in the home

20% lived with no working adult in the home

19% had individual education plans

15% had school discipline problems at program intake

13% had juvenile justice involvement

Data from a study by the National Center for Children in Poverty (2008) study show that the most

common risks experienced by U.S. kindergarteners include the following:

19% live with a single mother

18% live below the Federal Poverty Level

14% come from a large family with four or more children at home

12% live with a mother who has not completed high school

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According to Baker, Sigmon, and Nugent (2001), programs that show the most promise in reducing

truancy and other risk factors have several key elements:

Parental involvement

Meaningful sanctions or consequences for truancy

Meaningful incentives for attendance

Ongoing school based truancy reduction programs

Involvement of community resources

School – Based Programs:

Programs can be successful when they aim to identify truancy and absence problems before they

reach a chronic level and before patterns become entrenched and harder to reverse. Three programs that

have been implemented and evaluated for truancy reduction include:

School Attendance Initiative (SAI) is a non-punitive, culturally appropriate approach to help

students maintain regular attendance. The primary intervention strategy consists of outreach to

families of K-8 students, in support of their efforts to improve their children’s attendance. It is a

strengths-based model (Multnomah County, Ore.).

Abolish Chronic Truancy (ACT) targets elementary students. The program places prosecutors in

the schools to work with administrators, teachers, parents or guardians, and students to intervene

at the beginning of the truancy cycle, before the problem is ingrained. ACT uses a series of

graduated interventions to hold students and parent accountable for attendance (Los Angeles

County, CA).

Bigs in School (Big Brothers Big Sisters) is a one-to-one mentoring program that takes place in

the school setting.

Community-Based Programs

Community-based programs recognize that truancy is not an individual or family problem alone, but that

chronic truancy is a community problem that can best be addressed by collaboration among various

systems in the community. From the Truancy Literature Review, the following are just a few example of

programs that have been implemented and evaluated for truancy reduction.

Truancy Assessment and Service Centers (TASC) are one example of a community-based

approach. The legislation establishing the need and authority for TASCs recognizes that the

reduction of truancy and its many causes is the responsibility of multiple agencies. Thus each

TASC is organized as a cooperative, interagency program, drawing on various agencies to

provide an effective use of resources. TASCs mobilize all segments of the community.

New Jersey Juvenile/Family Crisis Intervention Units are authorized to divert matters involving

family-related problems (i.e., incorrigibility, truancy, runaway, and serious family conflict) from

court proceedings. They provide short-term crisis intervention services with the goal of

stabilizing the family situation and/or referring the juvenile and family to available community

agencies. They provide 24-hour on-call service, interviewing the youth and his or her family,

38 | P a g e

providing family counseling and crisis stabilization services, and referring the family to

community-based services.

Kern County (CA) Truancy Reduction program emphasizes daily school attendance through a

collaborative effort of parental participation, school involvement, and casework management.

The program stresses collaboration between schools and juvenile probation officers. Components

include assessment, home visits, weekly school contacts, counseling with the student and family,

referrals to community resources, mentoring and evaluation. Students referred to the program are

usually monitored for an entire academic year.

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Truancy Intervention

Program 1: Intervention Attendance Incentive Program (AIP), H-E-B I.S.D. Truancy Department –

Ages 9 - 12


Lack of identifiable incentive for student to attend school

Lack of parental involvement in regards to academic success


Parent and student not making attendance a top priority

Inability of parent to see importance of attendance for younger children

Younger students being at the mercy of parent to provide transportation

Summary: The Attendance Incentive Program (AIP) was implemented at the beginning of the school

year 2010-2011 as a pilot program to address chronic attendance issues in a positive approach as

opposed to a punitive approach. The initial target population for the pilot program was 4th

, 5th

, and 6th

graders (elementary campuses) who had at least 5 “incidents” the previous 6-week period (an incident

being defined as an unexcused absence or a tardy to school).

At the beginning of each 6-week period, the campus administrator identifies 20 – 40 students

meeting target criteria. An attendance / truancy officer visits the student at school and explains the

details of the AIP, as well as the incentive for meeting the requirements. The parent is also contacted and

made aware of the AIP and the participation requirements. The student and parent are informed that the

student cannot have an unexcused absence or tardy during the 6-week period in order to be eligible to

participate. If the student does not meet those requirements, then he/she will not be eligible to

participate.

The incentives range from a field trip to tour Cowboys Stadium; attending a Dallas Mavericks

game; attending a Texas Rangers game; attending a party at IT’Z Pizza and Games; or Games 2 U party

at the campus. The activities are provided at no cost to the parent or student. The bus transportation is

provided by the District and is funded by the campuses that have students participating in that particular

AIP. The remainder of the cost is covered by a non-profit organization in the community. Chaperones

for the students include the truancy department staff as well as volunteers from the campuses and the

community.

Success Data:

There have been ten (10) 6-week AIP events since the start of the AIP pilot program to date.

Success is calculated by the number of students who meet the attendance requirements and are eligible

to participate in the field trip reward and referred to as “Initial Success rate”. The attendance record for

those students who are eligible to participate in the field trip are monitored for the following 6-week

40 | P a g e

period and success is calculated based on the number of students who continued to have good attendance

even though there was no incentive and referred to as “Follow-Up Success rate”.

Total number of students targeted for the AIP to date is 280

Average Initial Success rate is 56%

Average Follow Up Success rate is 80%

Approximate 126 of the 280 students with attendance issues had good attendance for at least 12

weeks following initial contact with the AIP

Almost half of the students targeted were able to improve their attendance by being offered an

incentive rather than threatened with a consequence. If the program could be expanded to encompass

more grade levels and include more students, the potential to have a meaningful impact on the families

and the school district’s attendance rate would be broadened. For example, if 1000 students were able to

participate in the AIP each year, we could reasonably expect approximately 488 of them to improve

their attendance without having to be filed on in court.

Successful with:

The AIP would work for most every student population as long as the incentive is age-appropriate.


District personnel and administration


Students

Parents

Business owners / managers in the community (for funding & to provide the incentives)

Non-profit organizations (for the H-E-B I.S.D. Truancy Department AIP it is Loaves and Fishes)

Church leaders


Email between campus administrators, department or organization managing the AIP

One-on-one contact with the student

Telephone or email contact with the parent

Written agreement with community partner(s)


Student demographic info: grade, age, race, and gender

Student name and ID # and campus

Student attendance history

Current attendance report

Attendance records for remainder of school year to monitor success rate

Cost / Funding: Each campus provides funding for the cost of bus transportation for the field trip. The

cost for the event ranges from $8 - $19 per student depending on the activity. A non-profit covers the

cost for our students. However, if a school district and/or the campuses are willing to cover more of the

41 | P a g e

costs and/or if more community partners are willing to cover more of the costs, then the program can

target more students and make a bigger impact on the attendance rate.

Program 2: Williamson County Neighborhood Conference Committee– Ages 13 - 15

Issues, Risks and Barriers for Youth Related to Improving Attendance:

Students inability to see how attending school / graduating are related to their life goals

Lack of parental involvement (in schools and in their own children’s education)

Lack of collaboration among schools, community organizations, courts, etc.

Delay in response to truancy

Lack of a solution-based plan focused on the root of the truancy problem

Sole means of transportation (public) may run late

Deeper problem of lack of stability (renting apartments and lack of mobility, e.g., the school is

far and there’s limited transportation options)

Must take siblings to separate school with similar start time

Medical appointments

Mental health issues

Unaddressed special education needs or chronic illness

Bullying

Family problems at home

Bored at school,

Feels unsafe at school

No connection with school;

Parents: oversleeping; mental health issues; not understanding importance of regular school

attendance

Students have to work, sometimes multiple jobs, to help their families

Summary: The Neighborhood Conference Committee (NCC) of Williamson County consists of local

citizens in the community providing services to students who are first-time truant offenders. The student

and his/her family are referred to NCC by the local school district. The family meets with a panel of

volunteers to establish the root of the truancy problem. Together the student, family, and the NCC panel

develop a positive action plan. The action plan outlines the requirements that the student must

successfully complete without having to go through a formal court hearing. The action plan requires the

student to develop a graduation plan, a career plan, and to participate in appropriate activities such as

community service, mentoring, and/or expressing an apology to a victim. The action plan may also

include referrals for support services such as parent/child mediations and parent groups. NCC also

provides an avenue for expressing the community’s concern to the student to help the student generate a

sense of responsibility and opportunities for personal growth and development In terms of financing,

two Justices of the Peace charge a $5 fee on all court cases (there is a provision in TX law that permits

such a fee) to help fund the NCC.

Also, the school districts pay on-site coordinators for the committee. The NCC also landed a

$50,000 grant to pay for a case manager who complements the work of the coordinator. The case

manager handles the day-to-day details, while the coordinator works on networking and connecting with

volunteers.

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Success data:

This current school year is the first time they have collected data, and they just finished

collecting it at the end of March 2012.

A total of 235 kids were referred to NCC since August 2011. Of these 235: only 4 have had

subsequent failure to attend infractions; an additional 4 have had other, non-school related

infractions

Anecdotal: Richard Kolek, the principal of Taylor Middle School, said the school has referred 43

students to the program since it began in Taylor last year. “The kids that were chronic truancy

problems are not so anymore, and our attendance is up this year,” Kolek said.

Gordon Perez, a Round Rock school district administrator, said that the NCC has helped parents

become more involved in schools; especially since the NCC has evening hours and the parents

are able to come in and have a conversation about their children.

Successful with:

124 male, 111 female

137 Hispanic, 68 white, 20 black

115 were 13-15 years old

141 came from single-parent households

they will be tracking free and reduced lunch percentages next year and will have that data in

April 2013


School Districts-This is the essential partner

Justices of the Peace

Juvenile Probation

School Administrators

Teachers

Parents

Community

Non-Profit Organizations (for NCC, it’s LifeSteps)

Law Enforcement

Potential Partners to Assist in the Implementation:

All of these individuals have offered their assistance in setting up an NCC in Tarrant County:

Efrain Davila, Executive Director of LifeSteps and one of NCC’s founders

Scott Matthew, Executive Director, Williamson County Juvenile Services

Michelle Miner, NCC County Coordinator, Williamson County Juvenile Services Assistant

Chief Matt Smith


Need to establish communication links among key groups: parents, students, teachers, school

districts, courts, community, community organizations


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Demographic data: age, race, gender, single parent, free and reduced lunch, disability / special

education status

Total number of referrals

Recidivism data

Program 3: Lena Pope’s Second Opportunity for Success – Ages 11- 18







Transportation issues




Bullying, boredom, feels unsafe at school

Family relationship problems at home

Summary: Lena Pope Home’s Second Opportunity for Success (SOS) program – The SOS program is

a strengths-based program focused on building relationships with both youth and parents. Referrals

have come from Ft. Worth Police Department and surrounding police departments as well as the Ft.

Worth ISD truancy court. Families have also self-referred.

The SOS program is a diversionary program that was originally developed in 1999 through

collaboration with Lena Pope Home (LPH) and other community members including Tarrant County

Juvenile Services as an alternative to incarceration for a first offense.This program gives youth an

oppportunity for a second chance. It has evolved over the years and been adapted to provide services

for different populations. The program utilizes a strengths-based approach to personal responsibility.

The curriculum is compiled of evidence-based practices and has been developed through research on a

variety of topics addressing issues leading to delinquent behavior. Topic areas include school

attendance, substance abuse, peer pressure, choices, decision making, family relationships substance

abuse, etc. This program has been shown to be successful with a first time truancy youth and chronic

truancy.

A referral is made to the SOS program by the referring agent. Referring agents could be: direct

parent referral, school counselors, administrative personnel, truancy officers, J. P. courts, etc. The

family is then contacted by a representative form the program in an effort to engage the family. Once

an intake date is set, the family participates in an initial assessment. This is an opportunity to determine

factors contributing to the reason for the referral.

This program is mobile. It has been provided in Arlington, Hurst, Euless, and is currently offered

in one southwest Ft. Worth location and the city of Azle.

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There are seven (7) psycho-educational classes. Each week’s session is all-inclusive so a family can

start at any time. They will need to complete all seven classes before graduating to the follow up

component of the program. The follow up component of the program lasts a minimum of 90 days. This

includes school visits, phone contact, follow up parent meetings if requested, and case management.

The target age group is as young as 11 and up to age 18.

Success Data:

Lena Pope Home has been providing SOS for over 12 years. Over 3,000 youth have been served with

an average 94% success rate. Recidivism rates are determined based on census provided to referral

source (school or juvenile services department). Youth are expected to remain in school throughout this

program and afterwards.

Successful with:

The SOS program has served a broad demographic profile. SOS has served African American,

Caucasian and Hispanic at similar percentages which exceed average numbers for minority youths

receiving services. The SOS program is flexible enough to work for any student population.




Students

Parents

Law enforcement


Courts


Strong Marketing Plan – it is important to gather all entities who will make referrals to this

program and provide a training that will detail the elements required to achieve success

Crucial to contact parents early, school personnel intervene early, be proactive vs. reactive

Motivational engagement techniques once referral is received

Intake assessment with the family identifying protective factors and risk factors

Both parent(s) and youth required to participate – LPH feels strongly parental participation is

critical to the successful outcome for the student.



Completion of 7 groups

Completion of 90 day follow up period without a new offense



Attendance records for follow up period to monitor success rate

Families will have an open door to continue services, access other services and programs as needed,

return to LPH in the future if new or additional needs arise.

45 | P a g e

Cost/ Funding:

LPH can provide this program for approximately $1,200 per youth. This provides an intake assessment,

pre- and post tests, seven weeks of psycho-educational groups utilizing evidence-based practices for

both parents and youth (bilingual parent group if needed), a minimum of three follow up visits, and

follow up with the school. LPH provides all the case management involved including graduation plan, or

alternative if the number of absences is excessive and youth will not pass, referrals are made to pro-

social activities, and other resource referrals as needed. Average length of service is approximately 5

months.

At the end of the groups and 90 day follow up period, if the youth has remained in school and

not committed a new offense, the referring entity will be notified of successful completion and case will

be closed. LPH is always available for additional follow if needed.

Program 4: AimTruancy Solutions – Ages 11 - 18


Lack of self-confidence and belief that they can succeed in school


Lack of positive role model/mentor/coach






Lack of skills/knowledge/resources for pregnant/parenting teens


Pressure from families to get a job to help support the family


Summary: Solutions (Aim) is an early identification and intervention program for chronic truants.

Specifically, Aim is a year-long, innovative truancy reduction program that not only identifies at-risk

students, but also gets them back into the classroom, on track to graduate, and out of the juvenile

courts. Aim partners with schools, law enforcement, juvenile justice, community based

organizations, and other agencies that recognize the link between truancy reduction and student

success.

Aim was developed in 2005 by Paul Pottinger, PhD, a clinical psychologist (former Executive

Director of Dallas Challenge) and Shelton Stogner, head of the Dallas County Truancy Enforcement

Center at the request of the Dallas County Commissioners Court. Over the past seven years, Dallas-

based Aim has grown throughout Texas, California, Louisiana, and Kentucky successfully partnering

with hundreds of schools and thousands of students as part of various truancy reduction and dropout

prevention initiatives.

AimTruancy Solutions is a proven truancy reduction program by which students build success through

two key functions: mentoring and monitoring.

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Mentoring: intense, bilingual, one-on-one mentoring with carefully chosen, educated and

trained mentors, provides the positive support and guidance that has proven to help truant youth

change their thinking, behaviors, and lives.

Monitoring: State-of-the-art handheld GPS technology starts truants on the path to

accountability, allows them to opt-out of bad behavior, and allows for immediate intervention

when necessary.

Success Data:

AimTruancy’s data-driven intensive program that empowers students to improve their attendance,

grades and behavior. It all starts with attenandance. On average, Aim improves student attendance by

25 days over a school year.

Attendance increase from 79% to 93%

75% of students increase grades in two or more classes

58% decrease in number of school period tardies

20% decrease in suspensions

Successful with :

AimTruancy Solutions works with chronic truants from 6th

to 12th

grade. Our program continues to

prove successful across all student population regardless of age, race or gender.




Teachers

Students

Parents


Courts

Community Outreach


Orientation and overview of program to key external stakeholders in student’s life (i.e. school

staff, administration, teachers, etc)

Intake assessment with student and parent/guardian identifying causal issues

Daily communication with student

Ongoing communication with parent/guardian

Ongoing communication with school staff and administration




Daily current attendance report


Grades and course credits

47 | P a g e

Behavioral information such as “In School” and “Out of School” suspensions

Cost/ Funding:

AimTruancy Solutions provides its yearlong program at a cost of $800 per student. This cost covers all

aspects of the program including but not limited to: individualized mentoring from hand selected,

trained mentors, use of handheld gps/cell phone, utilization of Aim’s proprietary case management

software, customized reporting, morning wake up calls/txts, and real time student updates.

Program 5: Parenting with Love and Limits, Lena Pope Home – Ages 10 - 18













Summary: Lena Pope Home’s Parenting with Love and Limits is a recognized, evidence-based

program developed by Dr. Scott Sells. The model is a blending of structural and strategic family

therapy and is manualized. Consultation is provided on a regular basis by the developer of the model to

ensure adherence to the model. Parents and youth meet together in the first hour then separate in the

second hour to address the topic presented more specifically. There are six groups. Once a group

begins, it is considered closed. New families can not be added.

The family therapist that provides the groups for the adults will continue to provide “coaching”,

i.e. family therapy for at least 3 sessions to assist the family in practicing what they have learned. This

program was originally funded by a grant throught the State of Texas Prevention and Early

Intervention Department. The funding ended two years ago. Referrals have been accepted from school

districts, police departments, the FWISD Truancy Intervention project and self referral.

Parenting with Love and Limits®(PLL) is the first evidence-based program of its kind to combine a 6-

week parent education and group therapy program with 4 or more individual “coaching” (family

therapy) sessions for adolescents and their parents. PLL is designed for youth between 10 and 18. The

Parenting with Love and Limits is a program developed to work with pre-adjudicated youth.

Success Data:

LPH has been providing PLL for the past 6 years. Recidivism rates are determined based on

census provided to referral source (school or juvenile services departments). PLL also counts attending

48 | P a g e

5 out of 6 groups and at least attending 3 coaching session as success. Youths are expected to remain in

school throughout this program.

Successful with:

The PLL program has served a broad demographic profile. PLL has served African American,

Caucasian and Hispanic at similar percentages which exceed average numbers for minority youth

receiving services. The PLL program is flexible enough to work for any student population.




Students

Parents

Law enforcement


Courts


Strong Marketing Plan – it is important to gather all entities who will make referrals to this

program and provide a training that will detail the elements required to achieve success. LPH

will contact, set up and provide training on a stream-lined referral process.

Crucial to contact parents early, school personnel intervene early, be proactive vs. reactive.

Motivational engagement techniques once referral is received

Intake assessment with the family identifying protective factors and risk factors

Both parent(s) and youth required to participate – LPH feels strongly parental participaton is

critical to the successful outcome for the student.

This is a closed group which require everyone buying into the program so there is support from

the referring agent to ensure family follows through and agency to engage the family.


Student demographic information

Completion of 5 group sessions

3 – 5 coaching sessions with masters level family therapist




Families will have an open door to continue services, access other services and programs as needed,

return to LPH in the future if new or additional needs arise.

Cost/Funding:

Parenting with Love and Limits is an evidence-based program that has to be purchased from the

developer. Curriculum must be purchased as well as costs associated with consultation and on-going

training. The developer of the model must be assured that agencies utilizing the model are adhering to

the fidelity of the model. Depending on the number of youth participating in the program, licensing fees

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are a minimum of $10,000 per year up to $30,000 per year. Curriculum costs are $54 per family. There

are additional training fees for staff. Consultation is included in the licensing fee. Cost includes 2 staff

who provide the 5 groups one hour together, one hour separate groups. Then the follow up is provided

by the therapist.

Program 6: Santa Fe Youth Services – Reconnecting Youth Program – Grades 9 – 12


• Lack of ability to control actions/behaviors (particularly in high risk children)

• Lack of ability to adequately manage emotions

• History of school failure

• Lack of ability to interact in social settings

• Unable to appropriately problem-solve

• Difficulty communicating

• Unable to resist peer pressure or recognize negative and positive influences

• Unable to identify reasons to attend school

• Limited parent involvement in academic success

• Inability to recognize school attendance relates to school success

• Family identifies more important needs/problems than school attendance

• Victimized at school

• Family issues or abuse in the home

Summary: Reconnecting Youth Program (RY) is a intervention program for reducing drop-out rates,

drug abuse, and increase students’ mood management. The evidence-bassed program has been

recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Drug

Abuse as a model program to help students learn, practice, and apply decision-making skills, personal

control strategies, and interpersonal communication techniques.

The RY Program incorporates social support and life skills training into a daily, semester-long

class using a 52-lesson daily curriculum. The class meets daily for a full semester as part of the regular

school curriculum and is taken as an elective credit. The program is an approved Texas Education

Agency (TEA) Innovative Course.

Students who successfully complete RY receive .5 state elective credit. RY classes are facilitated

by a specially trained Santa Fe Youth Services staff member who excels in working with high school

youth. RY has proven to be a life-changing program, providing high school students the opportunity

to take charge of their own destiny, and set themselves on a pth towards indipendence and success. The

key features integrated into the daily RY class are group support and caring to enhance feeling of

acceptance and belonging; life skills training to enhance protective factors by devloping problem

solving skills and learning to manage mod to help with peers and family members; monitoring of

program goals to help establish and maintain personal control; and, school bonding/social activities to

foster healthy choices in friends and activities.

Success Data:

Santa Fe Youth Services has been providing RY to the Tarrant County JJAEP since 2001. Since 2004,

those schools increased to other Tarrant County high schools, and Keller ISD AEP. Since 2001, RY

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has been offered to over 4000 area high school students. Upon entering the program, youth complete a

survey, then again mid-semester, and a final one at the end of the semester to determine improvements.

Additionally, attendance is taken daily to assess amount of increase/decrease. Students participate, take

tests weekly to earn a weekly grade, which counts toward the semester grade and .5 credit. Overall this

program has been implemented with over a 90% success rate.

Successful with:

The RY program was developed to serve a broad demographic profile. Of the 4240 students served,

27% are African American, 48% are Hispanic, 21% White.

List needed partners


Students

Parents


Referral Process – ensuring that all schools and local partners are familiar with Santa Fe Youth

Services and the Reconnecting Youth Program. Staff visits schools, to share information and

leave brochures for dissemination.

Once referrals are made into program, youth and families attend an orientation to the program

and completed required paperwork.

Continue to communicate with school administration throughout the semester

Offer motivational incentives for class participation

Identify other services youth or family may need and make referrals; follow up to ensure contact

is made.

Provides motivational engagement techniques following referral

Identifies protective factors and risk factors during family intake assessment

Data to collect and measure for evaluation

Student demographic information

Daily Attendance Log

Completion of semester to determine increase in school attendance

Completion of initial survey to determine grades and drug use

Completion of mid-semester survey on grade improvement and drug use

Completion of final survey on grade improvement and drug use

Exit Questionnaire

Cost/ Funding:

The program is currently grant funded through Department of State Health Services and there is no cost

to the youth or family.

Program 7: Success Lasts a Lifetime with Job Corps – Age 16 and older



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Repeated response to truancy


Summary: Job Corps is a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career,

earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job. For eligible young people at least

16 years of age that qualify as low income, Job Corps provides the all-around skills needed to succeed

in a career and in life.

Job Corps is the nation's largest career technical training and education program for young people at

least 16 years of age that qualify as low income. A voluntary program administered by the U.S.

Department of Labor, Job Corps provides eligible young men and women with an opportunity to gain

the experience they need to begin a career or advance to higher education. Job Corps has 125 centers

nationwide, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Job Corps offers hands-on training in

more than 100 career technical area including: automotive and machine repair, construction, finance

and business services, health care, hospitality, information technology, manufacturing, renewable

resources, and many more. All training programs are aligned with industry certifications and are

designed to meet the requirements of today's careers. Job Corps also offers the opportunity to earn a

high school diploma or a GED for those youth who don't have either. For youth who already have a

high school diploma, Job Corps can help them prepare for college through partnerships with local

colleges. Youth must live on campus.

Resources are also available for English Language Learners. Courses in independent living,

employability skills, and social skills are offered to all Job Corps students in order to help them make

the transition into the workplace.

The program includes:

Career Preparation Period (CPP)

Career Development Period (CDP)

Career Transition Period (CTP)

Cost / Funding - Free

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MANAGEMENT -

Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out and Delinquency

Truancy has been clearly identified as one of the early warning signs that youth are headed for

potential delinquent activity. Policies and procedures can create barriers to addressing absenteeism and

truancy. For instance, suspension as a punishment for truancy ends up “pushing out” students. One study

found that in Colorado, 70% of the student suspended were chronically truant in the six months prior to

the suspension; while 80% of dropouts were chronically truant the year before. This suspension model

fails to address the underlying causes of truancy and can exacerbate the disengagement from school on

the part of the youth. Certain procedures allow the problem to go unaddressed, such as automated phone

calls that can be ignored or erased by students at home (Gonzales, Richards, and Seeley, 2002). Policies

that tie grading or participation in athletics to attendance can similarly be counterproductive.

Top Ten Reasons Why Teens Drop out of School

Statistical findings suggest that 1 in every 5 students will drop out of high school between the

10th

- 12th

grade for one reason or another. Factoring in all the potential reasons for this extremely high

ratio of drop outs verses graduates is quite complicated as researchers explain. For this reason we have

narrowed down the top ten reasons that teens leave high school before graduation.

Statistically 55% of the nation's students between the ages of 15 and 19 will successfully

complete high school and receive a high school diploma. Another 15% will receive their GED or high

school equivalency before the age of 24, which in total accounts for 70% of students that will graduate

annually. The remaining 30% of high school students will drop out of school before reaching the 12th

grade.

According to the US Department of Education, there are ten significant markers of risk or reasons

teens drop out of high school before graduating. USDOE discovered as the most common reasons teens

drop out of high school.

1. Lack of Education Support

Studies conducted on 5,000 high school drop outs revealed 75% dropped out of high school

because they lack sufficient parental support and educational encouragement.

2. Outside Influences

Friend and/or peer pressure from other high school drop outs, family or other outside

relationships can impact a teen to drop out of school. This also encompasses teens who opt to

drop out high school to join a gang or to be accepted in other teen groups and street

communities.

3. Special Needs

There are a number of teens dropping out high school because they require specific attention to a

certain need such as ADHD or dyslexia. This is predominately among densely population public

high schools where the overcrowded classrooms fail to recognize the special needs of a specific

student.

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4. Financial Problems

Often the family is in a very poor financial situation and in order to help the family financially is

another reason why teen drop out of school. Teens in this case are forced to obtain employment

to financially help the family and in some cases the financial strain can be due to an unplanned

pregnancy and/or parental disabilities.

5. Lack of Interest

One of the biggest reasons a teen will drop out of high school is because they simply lack interest

in gaining an education. Out of 10,000 public high school drop outs, 7,000 of them confessed to

their lack in interest to complete high school. Most often this is due to the generic course

curriculums offed t public high school students, whereby a number of students simply become

bored.

6. Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Drugs and alcohol abuse is within the top 3 reasons students fail to complete their high school

education. It goes without saying, that a teen on drugs will rarely complete high school.

7. Depression and Physical Illnesses

Depression and illnesses can be the result of an eating disorder, heredity, family or financial

situation that will contribute to the teen’s lack of interest in school or class subjects and is

common reason why teens drop out of school.

8. Physical Abuse

Teens that are victims of domestic violence such as physical, verbal and sexual abuse tend to

drop out of high school before obtaining their high school diploma. In most cases a number of

teens experiencing abuse will run away from home, thus causing them to drop out.

9. Teen Pregnancy

In the past, teen pregnancy accounted for 15% of the high school dropout rate among teens

between the ages of 15 - 18. However, these numbers have sharply declined to about 4% on the

average. A number of public schools have opted to reform the school to cater to pregnant teens.

Some states have high schools specifically for pregnant teens and teen mothers to ensure they

complete high school in an environment that does not judge them or discount the impact or

significance of their circumstance.

10. Alternative Lifestyles

This common reason teens drop out of high school is due to their perception of an alternative

lifestyle in which education does not play an important role. A teen who is introduced to drug

dealing and prostitution may view high school as a waste of time because they don't need an

education to sell drugs or their bodies for that matter.

The bottom line for parents to help reduce the number of teen high school drop outs across the

nation is to equip themselves and their teens with knowledge and alternative methods, such as going to a

continuation or alternative school to receive their high school diploma and/or get their GED. It's simply

not enough to tell your teen the importance of an education, but to also guide them into the right

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direction. Most important is maintaining communication so that you can discover your teen's risk of

dropping out far enough in advance to really make a difference in the outcome

Texas School Discipline and Delinquency Prevention

Marc Levin, Director, Center for Effective Justice, presented a paper, Legislators’ Guide to the

Issues, 2012. In this guide, Levin points to the issues that tens of thousands of Texas students as young

as 10 are receiving tickets for Class C misdemeanors in school, most commonly for disrupting class.

Ticketed youngsters must appear with a parent in municipal or justice of the peace court, where they

face fines of up to $500. If they do not appear or do not pay, the case is typically referred to juvenile

probation and, if the matter is not cleared up by the time a youth turns 17, an arrest warrant is issued.

Some 7,000 Texas youths are in Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs),

which are non-residential educational programs overseen by counties for students who have been

expelled, committed certain criminal offenses, or engaged in serious and persistent misbehavior while at

alternative schools called Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs).

Court-Based and Court Diversion Programs

From the Truancy Literature Review, Court-based programs leverage the power of the court in

order to coordinate and oversee the delivery of services that re-identified for the truant youth, and often

for the family as well. Programs can differ in how long they run, the number of times the youth / family

appears before the judge, the role of a social worker or case manager, the representatives included, and

the types of services overseen by the court. Many systems have established diversion program that offer

services after a petition had been received but before a youth is adjudicated. These programs have

various levels of connection to the court, some even being labeled “truancy courts.”

One example of the court-based program is referred to as the Byer Truancy Reduction Program

uses family courts as the means to provide a broad array of services to families. The Family Court judge

and a uniformed bailiff convene “Truancy Court” weekly in the school building, where there is also

regular contact among the court, child, parents, school officials, and services providers. Locating the

court process in the school fosters better communication. Improves needs assessment and understanding

of issues by all involved parties, and increases coordination and integration of services. Services are

provided by a team composed of a judge, school/court liaison, counselor or other involved school

employee, case manager (social worker), treatment provider or providers, and any other court, social

service, or school personnel invested in a particular child or family.

Some programs are connected to the court, but are designed primarily to divert youth from court

before adjudication. These are voluntary programs that families and students may choose to participate

in before a student’s absence from school becomes so severe that the school must refer the case to

family court and/or the Division of Family Services. The truancy court team consists of volunteer judges

and attorneys who serve as truancy court judges, school social workers and/or guidance counselors who

serve as truancy court family advocates and a deputy juvenile officer from the family court. The goals of

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this type program are to increase attendance, improve academic achievement, build character, and curb

delinquent behavior.

A Michigan Status Offense Diversion program provides effective non-court intervention for

status offenders to resolve presenting problems and prevent delinquent behavior. In response to a

petition, the court caseworker will provide supervision for juvenile status offenders and services for the

family for a limited duration (typically 16 weeks). Diversion is a voluntary contract between the

juvenile, his or her parent or legal guardian, and the without authorization of the petition. Conditions of

diversion focus on regular school attendance, parents’ attendance and participation in educational

planning or progress meetings, and referrals to community-based or court-sponsored treatment

programs.

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Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning Committee Suggested Programs

for Management

Problem Solving Model

Summary: Committee members had backgrounds with courts, juvenile probation & juvenile justice and

law enforcement. Most meetings coincided with the larger committee meetings but we did have one

stand-alone meeting during the initial phase of the planning process. The Criminal Justice system needs

to effectively address both the social and criminal factors contributing to chronic absence and truancy

from school utilizing a problem-solving model that works in conjunction with a multitude of resources

throughout the community.

Through multiple discussions, the overwhelming theme was the desire to find a more effective way of

“working” truancy cases that has reached the level of the court system. County Commissioners can

appoint a judge, but currently, truancy cases are referred to the Justice of the Peace court or municipal

courts in the school’s dedicated county precinct and are prosecuted under the Texas Education Code

Sec. 25.094 Failure to Attend School, a class C Misdemeanor. In the State of Texas, a class C

Misdemeanor is punishable by a fine only, not to exceed $500. This level of offense and the size of

Tarrant County require that truancy related cases are filed in either a Justice or Municipal Court or a

Constitutional County Court. Tarrant County currently has no provisions for truancy cases to be heard in

a Constitutional County Court.

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth:

1. Students that are prosecuted criminally have monetary punishments assessed to them.

a. Many times, monetary fines cannot be paid because of financial hardships. Texas law allows

for a Judge to decrease the fine amount to account for a financial hardship. This action takes

away the disciplinary consequence for failing to attend school.

b. Juveniles under the age of 17 cannot be taken into custody for failure to pay a monetary

fine.

Social Problems

Human Problems

= Legal

Problems

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c. Texas law mandates that a criminal case to be filed after a student misses all or part of 10

days within a six month period. However, because of varying processes put in place by each

school district, many truancy cases are not being filed until a student has missed

substantially more than 10 days. This places the student in a situation where they are so far

behind in their studies; they see it as too difficult to catch up.

2. It is a well-known fact that truancy and chronic absence from school often stem from social

issues and not necessarily just a student’s desire to skip school. Court staff and Judges don’t

have access to information that would assist in understanding the root causes of a student’s

chronic absence.

3. Often, there is no standard communication pipeline between law enforcement agencies and

school districts to share information on students.

4. Municipal and Justice courts each have a vast array of types of cases they must hear which

doesn’t allow for a Judge to be able to focus on the most effective solutions or design an

individualized plan to re-engage students. Oftentimes the “cookie-cutter” approach is used when

assessing punishments.

Summary: During the planning process, the subcommittee quickly identified the fact that the dedicated

court was the key factor in an effective county-wide plan to address this issue and recommend that the

county make the creation of this court a priority. A “snap-shot” of what the court should look like was

developed.

6. The dedicated court should be under the authority of the Constitutional County Court.

7. The court should work closely with social service providers identified and utilized through the

intervention phase.

8. The court should be implemented through a partnership with dedicated school district(s).

Court

Schools

Police

Social Services

Families

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9. The court should initially place a focus on cases being filed within a particular High School

network or within a particular county precinct. This will allow for a smooth transition and data

collection of effectiveness.

10. The court should be comprised of the following key components:

Judge

To oversee the management process for absentee cases utilizing social

services through arrangements with the prosecutor and hear cases that

are ultimately being tried as criminal actions.

Prosecutor

A prosecutor that specializes in working with schools and law

enforcement officials to determine underlying causes of chronic

absences and differentiate between criminal behavior and social

deficiencies.

Basic Court Staff

(Judge, Bailiff, Court

Reporter,

Coordinator)

To conduct the daily operations of the court.

Program Manager* To coordinate and oversee the various social services and to work with

directly with the prosecutor and families throughout the process.

Central Information

Sharing System*

To provide a centralized location for an electronic case file in order to

efficiently and accurately track families and their progress.

Committed School

District*

A district that is willing to actively contribute resources to work with

the court, law enforcement and social services to make the program

work.

Committed Local

Police Department

A department that is willing to contribute resources and train officers in

providing appropriate information to the school district, social services

and the court about at-risk families and chronic offenders.

Committed

Constable’s Office

A Constable that is willing to work with the court and Program

Manager to assist in serving court papers in a timely manner and

assisting with home visits as necessary.

Structured Intake

Process

To provide a means of evaluating the family’s needs quickly and

efficiently and identify resources that have been provided or offered

leading up to the court referral.

Interpreter An independent language interpreter to have the ability to

communicate with family members in their spoken language.

Transportation*

To address areas of the county where public transportation is scarce or

non-existent and ultimately serves as a road block (or excuse) to court

attendance.

Assessment*

A way to measure the effectiveness of the services provided, monitor

school attendance once services are complete and provide continual

support for the family to prevent recidivism. Social service providers

support partners. * Denotes what is seen as a crucial “key to success” for the program.




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Teachers

Students

Parents

Area Juvenile Social Service Providers

Courts

Community Outreach


County-wide system that indentifies a juvenviles’ contact points and current services being

received

Open for court viewing

Use an information sharing system

School District, Police Department, Juvenile Services, and Court must agree on the data to be

shared, describe in an Interlocal Agreement, and sign the agreement.

Purchase or build the information sharing system.


Data should include age, gender, race, address, home school, transfers to alternative school

services and completion status in that program

Cost/ Funding:

Share funding costs among partners within the Interlocal Agreement.

Seek Grant funding; fund raisers

Appropriate funds made available by improved attendance for further chronic absence and

truancy preventions efforts or for court programs.

Fees from crime zone areas.

Co-locate services thus saving facility and operational costs.

Look to corporate funding from defendant’s insurance coverage.

Estimate heard, but no budget developed, $1,000,000

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Evaluation

Rigorous data on the effectiveness of dropout program have been lacking to a large degree, but

there is a growing body of evidence regarding truancy reduction programs. A number of programs have

need found either to be effective for prevention of or intervention with truancy or to have promising or

emerging evidence of programmatic effectiveness. Additionally, many programs that address multiple

risk factors may have positive outcomes in regard to truancy reduction, although that may not be the

primary goals of the program. For instance, CASASTART and Operation New Hope, while not directly

targeting truancy, can reduce it.

There are also multiple programs that lack sufficient evidence to be classified as effective or

ineffective. Strategies shown to be ineffective at reducing truancy include solution-focused group

interventions (for at-risk students) (Newsome, 2004) and financial sanctions (Gandy and Schultz, 2007).

The models that show the most promise, not only of reducing truancy, but also of affecting its risk

factors, include several key components:

Parental involvement

Meaningful sanctions or consequences for truancy

Meaningful incentives for school attendance

Ongoing school-based truancy reduction programs

Involvement of community resources (e.g., law enforcement).

Evidence of Effectiveness: Data

Attendance Rates (year-end attendance)

Number of truancies and dropouts

Referrals to services

Services provided to youth and their families

Successful program completion/case dispositions

Questions to Be Considered

What impact has ___ had on school response to truancy and reporting practices?

How does the threat of prosecution affect whether parents ensure that their children attend

school?

Are truant youth and their parents or guardians receiving adequate services to address the root

causes of the truancy?

How has the number of truancies and dropouts changed during the program?

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RECOMMENDATIONS - Committee Members

Summary of October 10, 2012 Meeting

The Tarrant County Truancy Planning Committee made final suggestions for change on the draft

document received ten (10) days prior to the meeting. Then each sub-committee was given the charge to

identify four (4) suggestions for future action. Two groups made four recommendations, one group

made two recommendations.

Prepare Final Publication; Prepare an Executive Summary; Prepare Power Point; Give document

a Title – Tarrant County Truancy Solutions

Conduct Local policy & Practice Surveys

Conduct A Community Needs Assessment County-wide or Localized with Identified Partners

Conduct County-Wide Truancy Summit

o ISDs

o Law Enforcement

o Social Services

o Courts

o TCC

o All Stakeholders

Send to Commissioner’s Court through Les Smith; have Commissioner’s Court communicate


Evaluations

o Rely on Agencies to report data

o Identify a Point Person that agencies will report to…

o Talk to UTA “Stephan Ateek”

o Design Reporting Metrics

Presentation – County Commissioner or appointed by County Commissioner

o Meet them where they are…include the city officials: Mayor, Police Department, City

Councils; School Board, School Administration; County Judge(s);

o Note: Individualized Attention

Identify school district partnerships and funding sources

Hold an annual follow-up meeting

o Assessment

o What worked, What didn’t

o Make adjustments as needed

Following the posting and presentation of the recommendations, the large group asked questions and

held a discussion on the recommendations. Some recommendations were combined or modified. Each

committee member was given five post-its and placed numbers 1-5. Number 1 post-it was to be place on

the person’s first recommendation, then second, third, fourth, and then fifth action recommendation.

Post-it numbers were counted. The results follow:

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6. Prepare Final Publication: Executive Summary; Power Point; and add a title Tarrant County

Truancy Solutions

This recommendation received fifteen #1 and one #3 selection

7. Send to Commissioner’s Court through Les Smith; have Commissioner’s Court communicate


This recommendation received eight #2 selections and one for #1, #3, #4, #5.

8. Conduct a County-wide Needs Assessment or Localized with Identified Partners or Local Policy

and Practice Surveys ; Design a metrics of what data will be collected

This was a combination of two recommendations. One received six #3 selections and the

other six #4 selections.

9. Evaluations – Identify a point person that will collect data; Consider Stephan Ateek and rely on

agencies to report data; data to be collected must be identified prior to beginning action plan.

This received five #4 selections with no selections for #1 or #2 and one selection for #3

and #5.

10. Conduct a county-wide truancy summit including ISDs, law enforcement, social services, courts,

and other stakeholders and hold annual follow-up meetings.

The summit received ten #5 selections; with the follow-up meetings receiving five #5

selections.

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APPENDIX


Program Name Agency Contact Information

Truancy Prevention

Mediation Program,

Dispute Resolution Services

of N. Texas

4304 Airport Freeway, Suite 100

Ft. Worth, TX 76117

(817) 877-4554

www.drsnorthtexas.org

Teacher Home Visits Chapel Hill Academy: Lena

Pope Home

4640 Sycamore School Road

Fort Worth, TX 76133

(817) 289-0242

www.lenapopehome.org

Attendance Incentives for

Parents/Students

Chapel Hill Academy: Lena

Pope Home

4640 Sycamore School Road


(817) 289-0242


On-Site Therapeutic

Family Counseling

The Parenting Center of

Fort Worth

2928 West Fifth Street


(817) 332-6348

www.theparentingcenter.org

Strengthening Families

Program

Santa Fe Youth Services 7524 Mosier View Court, Suite 200

Fort Worth, Texas 76118

(817) 492-4673

[email protected]

INTERVENTION – Truancy

Program Name Agency Contact Information

Intervention Attendance

Incentive Program (AIP)

HEB ISD Truancy

Department

1100 Raider Rd., Suite 100

Euless, TX 76040

(817) 267-3311

Neighborhood Conference

Committee

Neighborhood Conference

Committee of Williamson

County

210 Round Rock Ave. Round Rock, TX 78664 (512) 971-2029

www.nccwilco.org

Second Opportunity for

Success

Lena Pope Home 3131 Sanguinet Street


(817) 255-2500


AimTruancy Solutions AimTruancy 2305 Cedar Springs Road

Suite 410

Dallas, Tx 75201

(214) 999-1122

http://www.drsnorthtexas.org/

http://www.lenapopehome.org/


http://www.theparentingcenter.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.nccwilco.org/


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www.aimtruancy.com

Parenting with Love and

Limits

Lena Pope Home 3131 Sanguinet Street


(817) 255-2500

www.aimtruancy.com


Reconnecting Youth Santa Fe Youth Services 7524 Mosier View Court,

Suite 200

Fort Worth, Texas 76118

(817) 492-4673

[email protected]

Job Corps Career Training for Students 1701 N. Church Street

McKinney, TX 75069

(972) 542-2623

www.northtexas.jobcorps.gov

It should be noted that many more child and family prevention and intervention resources can be found at:

http://tarrantcares.org/tarrant.cfm

http://www.aimtruancy.com/


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.northtexas.jobcorps.gov/

http://tarrantcares.org/tarrant.cfm

a collaborative plan for schools, police departments

Documents