Truancy Solutions: a Collaborative Plan for Schools, Police

Truancy Solutions:

A Collaborative Plan for Schools, Police Departments, Community Agencies and the Juvenile Justice System

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 27 NTx 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 Discussion of the Issues & National Research 35 Tarrant County Menu of Evidenced-informed Recommendations 39 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 Discussion of the Issues & National Research 54 Tarrant County Menu of Evidenced-informed Recommendations 56 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 Amy Hernandez Director, Truancy Program Eagle Mt.-Saginaw ISD

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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 Amy Hernandez Director, Truancy Program Eagle Mt.-Saginaw 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 subcommittee was asked to consider ground rules that included:

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

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 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.

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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.

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Every Student Counts Positive Solutions in Curbing the Links that Connect Absence to Dropping Out of School and Delinquency

Executive Summary

Background:

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,

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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 subcommittee 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.

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 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.

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The Tarrant County Issues: Chronic Absence, Truancy, Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out, Delinquency Demographics of Tarrant County by School District

4 Yr. Completion Completion Yr. 4

Limited English English Limited

African Am. % Am. African

Disad

# of Students of #

Disciplinary Disciplinary

Drop Out % Out Drop

Hispanic % Hispanic

Placements Attendance

Proficient

White % White

–

Eco. Eco.

vantaged

Risk%

Organization

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

11 | 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

12 | 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.

Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning Suggested Programs for

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.

17 | 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)

Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning Suggested Programs for

MANAGEMENT – Suspension, Expulsion, Dropping-Out and Delinquency

Problem Solving Model

Social Problems Legal = Problems

Human Problems

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.

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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.

Schools

Families Court Police

Social Services

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: To oversee the management process for absentee cases utilizing social Judge services through arrangements with the prosecutor and hear cases that are ultimately being tried as criminal actions. A prosecutor that specializes in working with schools and law enforcement officials to determine underlying causes of chronic Prosecutor absences and differentiate between criminal behavior and social deficiencies. Basic Court Staff (Judge, Bailiff, Court To conduct the daily operations of the court. Reporter, Coordinator) To coordinate and oversee the various social services and to work with Program Manager* directly with the prosecutor and families throughout the process. Central Information To provide a centralized location for an electronic case file in order to Sharing System* efficiently and accurately track families and their progress. Committed School A district that is willing to actively contribute resources to work with the

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District* court, law enforcement and social services to make the program work. A department that is willing to contribute resources and train officers in Committed Local providing appropriate information to the school district, social services Police Department and the court about at-risk families and chronic offenders. A Constable that is willing to work with the court and Program Manager Committed to assist in serving court papers in a timely manner and assisting with Constable’s Office home visits as necessary. To provide a means of evaluating the family’s needs quickly and Structured Intake efficiently and identify resources that have been provided or offered Process leading up to the court referral. An independent language interpreter to have the ability to communicate Interpreter with family members in their spoken language. To address areas of the county where public transportation is scarce or Transportation* non-existent and ultimately serves as a road block (or excuse) to court attendance. A way to measure the effectiveness of the services provided, monitor school attendance once services are complete and provide continual Assessment* 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.

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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.

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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

Limited English English Limited

African Am. % Am. African

Disadvantaged

# of Students of #

Drop Out % Out Drop

At At

Disciplinary Disciplinary

Hispanic % Hispanic

Completion Completion

Attendance

Placements

Proficient

White % White

–

4 Yr. Yr. 4

Eco. Eco.

Risk %

Organization

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)

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

22 | 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.

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 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?

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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).

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

Tier 3: 5% - 9% Court Management Coordinated public agency and, if needed, legal response for families in crisis

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 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 26 | P a g e Prepare children for school through quality early care and education experiences 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

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.

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 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

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  Disconnect between attendance and school funding  Early poor attendance habits may lead to truancy

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.

List needed partners:

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 Teachers  School Administration  School Counselors

Communication process required to succeed:  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.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  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

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  Disconnect between attendance and school funding  Early poor attendance habits may lead to truancy

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

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List needed partners:  Principals  Teachers  School Counselors  Donors/Sponsors (if available)

Communication process required to succeed: Process needs to be widely and clearly communicated with families and students to avoid any misunderstandings which could prove counterproductive.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation: 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, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to Improving 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  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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List needed partners:  School administration (budget)  Principals  School counselors (for referrals)  Teachers (for referrals)  Community agency to provide services at reduced rates.

Communication process required to succeed: It is essential to communicate the purpose of counseling to families. This becomes an important task for the school counselor or principal.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation: 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

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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.

List needed partners:  School District personnel and administration  Students  Parents  Law enforcement  Area Juvenile Services  Juvenile and Family Courts

Communication process required to succeed: 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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Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  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.

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

35 | 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,

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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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Tarrant County Juvenile Justice Truancy Planning Suggested Programs for

Truancy Intervention

Program 1: Intervention Attendance Incentive Program (AIP), H-E-B I.S.D. Truancy Department – Ages 9 - 12

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

39 | 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.

List needed partners:  District personnel and administration  Campus administrators  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

Communication process required to succeed:  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)

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  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

40 | 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

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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

List needed partners:  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

Communication process required to succeed:  Need to establish communication links among key groups: parents, students, teachers, school districts, courts, community, community organizations

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:

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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

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to improving Attendance:  Lack of identifiable incentive for student to attend school  Lack of parental involvement in regards to academic success  Disconnect between school attendance and academic success  Parent and student not making attendance a top priority  Inability of parent to see importance of attendance for younger children  Transportation issues  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  Bullying, boredom, feels unsafe at school  Family relationship problems at home

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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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.

List needed partners:  School District personnel and administration  Campus administrators  Students  Parents  Law enforcement  Area Juvenile Services  Courts

Communication process required to succeed:  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.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  Student demographic information: grade, age, race, and gender, campus  Completion of 7 groups  Completion of 90 day follow up period without a new offense  Student attendance history  Current attendance report  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.

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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

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to improving Attendance:  Lack of self-confidence and belief that they can succeed in school  Lack of parental involvement in regards to academic success  Lack of positive role model/mentor/coach  Disconnect between school attendance and academic success  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  Bullying, boredom, feels unsafe at school  Lack of skills/knowledge/resources for pregnant/parenting teens  Transportation issues  Pressure from families to get a job to help support the family  Family relationship problems at home

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.

List needed partners:  School District personnel and administration  Campus administrators  Teachers  Students  Parents  Area Juvenile Services  Courts  Community Outreach

Communication process required to succeed:  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

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  Student demographic information: grade, age, race, and gender, campus  Student attendance history  Daily current attendance report  Attendance records for follow up period to monitor success rate  Grades and course credits

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 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

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to Improving Attendance:  Lack of identifiable incentive for student to attend school  Lack of parental involvement in regards to academic success  Disconnect between school attendance and academic success  Parent and student not making attendance a top priority  Inability of parent to see importance of attendance for younger children  Transportation issues  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  Bullying, boredom, feels unsafe at school  Family relationship problems at home

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

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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.

List needed partners:  School District personnel and administration  Campus administrators  Students  Parents  Law enforcement  Area Juvenile Services  Courts

Communication process required to succeed:  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.

Data to collect and measure for evaluation:  Student demographic information  Completion of 5 group sessions  3 – 5 coaching sessions with masters level family therapist  Student attendance history  Current attendance report  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.

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

48 | P a g e 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

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: 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.

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  School District personnel and administration  Students  Parents

Communication process required to succeed:  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

Issues, Risks, and Barriers for Youth: Related to Improving Attendance:  Lack of identifiable incentive for student to attend school

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 Lack of parental involvement in regards to academic success  Family relationship problems at home  Disconnect between school attendance and academic success  Inability of parent to see importance of attendance for younger children  Transportation issues  Repeated response to truancy  Lack of a solution-based plan focused on the root of the truancy problem

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

53 | P a g e 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

54 | P a g e 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

Social Problems Legal = Problems

Human Problems

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.

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.

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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.

Schools

Families Court Police

Social Services

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

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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:

To oversee the management process for absentee cases utilizing social Judge services through arrangements with the prosecutor and hear cases that are ultimately being tried as criminal actions. A prosecutor that specializes in working with schools and law enforcement officials to determine underlying causes of chronic Prosecutor absences and differentiate between criminal behavior and social deficiencies. Basic Court Staff (Judge, Bailiff, Court To conduct the daily operations of the court. Reporter, Coordinator) To coordinate and oversee the various social services and to work with Program Manager* directly with the prosecutor and families throughout the process. Central Information To provide a centralized location for an electronic case file in order to Sharing System* efficiently and accurately track families and their progress. A district that is willing to actively contribute resources to work with Committed School the court, law enforcement and social services to make the program District* work. A department that is willing to contribute resources and train officers in Committed Local providing appropriate information to the school district, social services Police Department and the court about at-risk families and chronic offenders. A Constable that is willing to work with the court and Program Committed Manager to assist in serving court papers in a timely manner and Constable’s Office assisting with home visits as necessary. To provide a means of evaluating the family’s needs quickly and Structured Intake efficiently and identify resources that have been provided or offered Process leading up to the court referral. An independent language interpreter to have the ability to Interpreter communicate with family members in their spoken language. To address areas of the county where public transportation is scarce or Transportation* non-existent and ultimately serves as a road block (or excuse) to court attendance. A way to measure the effectiveness of the services provided, monitor school attendance once services are complete and provide continual Assessment* 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.

List needed partners:  School District personnel and administration  Campus administrators

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 Teachers  Students  Parents  Area Juvenile Social Service Providers  Courts  Community Outreach

Communication process required to succeed:  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 to collect and measure for evaluation:  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 with Superintendents and other stakeholders.  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 with Superintendents and other stakeholders.  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

PREVENTION – Chronic Absence

Program Name Agency Contact Information Truancy Prevention Dispute Resolution Services 4304 Airport Freeway, Suite 100 Mediation Program, of N. Texas Ft. Worth, TX 76117 (817) 877-4554 www.drsnorthtexas.org Teacher Home Visits Chapel Hill Academy: Lena 4640 Sycamore School Road Pope Home Fort Worth, TX 76133 (817) 289-0242 www.lenapopehome.org Attendance Incentives for Chapel Hill Academy: Lena 4640 Sycamore School Road Parents/Students Pope Home Fort Worth, TX 76133 (817) 289-0242 www.lenapopehome.org On-Site Therapeutic The Parenting Center of 2928 West Fifth Street Family Counseling Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX 76107 (817) 332-6348 www.theparentingcenter.org Strengthening Families Santa Fe Youth Services 7524 Mosier View Court, Suite 200 Program Fort Worth, Texas 76118 (817) 492-4673 [email protected]

INTERVENTION – Truancy

Program Name Agency Contact Information Intervention Attendance HEB ISD Truancy 1100 Raider Rd., Suite 100 Incentive Program (AIP) Department Euless, TX 76040 (817) 267-3311 Neighborhood Conference Neighborhood Conference 210 Round Rock Ave. Committee Committee of Williamson Round Rock, TX 78664 County (512) 971-2029 www.nccwilco.org Second Opportunity for Lena Pope Home 3131 Sanguinet Street Success Fort Worth, TX 76107 (817) 255-2500 www.lenapopehome.org AimTruancy Solutions AimTruancy 2305 Cedar Springs Road Suite 410 Dallas, Tx 75201 (214) 999-1122

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www.aimtruancy.com Parenting with Love and Lena Pope Home 3131 Sanguinet Street Limits Fort Worth, TX 76107 (817) 255-2500 www.aimtruancy.com www.lenapopehome.org 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

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