State-Journal.com - Tackling Truancy

Students are racking up unexcused absences for the same reasons as when Patrick Yewell graduated from Franklin County High School 30 years ago.

Kids can face trouble at home or school, or crave independence as they turn into teenagers.

But school and court officials are trying to get a handle on truancy – missing school without parent permission.

Yewell, executive officer of Family and Juvenile Services for the Administrative Office of the Courts, hopes a truancy diversion program in it’s third year in Franklin County Public Schools can keep most kids out of court.

The statewide program identifies adolescents at risk of becoming truant, figures out why they’re missing school and what can be done about it. Students without other charges can avoid court through mediation with a mentor.

“Truancy, to me, is not the issue,” Yewell said. “It’s the reason why children are missing school that we have to talk about.”

In Kentucky, students with three unexcused absences or tardies are considered truant, and students with six or more are habitual truants.

What began at FCHS and Elkhorn Middle three years ago expanded to the west side of town this year, adding programs at Western Hills High School and Bondurant Middle.

Adolescents want more freedom and independence when they hit middle school, said Deborah Wigginton, director of pupil personnel for the school system. That’s when schools start to see an increase in truancy.

“They try to test the waters, and they try to identify them,” she said. “It’s a process of growing up.”

Court-designated workers lead the effort in the 64 counties where the AOC program operates, meeting with county attorneys and judges of district and family courts.

They develop teams of school system representatives, family resource center staff and guidance counselors to meet with students.

Team members talk to kids about how they’re doing in school, and what they can do to improve their attendance and grades. They determine if families need anything to accomplish that.

“This program really focuses on a holistic approach,” Yewell said. “It really has to look at why children are missing class, but also holding them accountable for that.”

Sometimes kids say they don’t make it to school because their families don’t have washing machines to clean their clothes, Yewell said. Some don’t have alarm clocks, and they don’t wake up on time.

Wigginton says the Franklin County team has purchased alarm clocks for students, worked with tutors and scheduled meetings with guidance counselors to adjust students’ schedules.

“There are very diverse needs that the family has,” said Rachel Bingham, manager of Family and Juvenile Services. “It’s not just that the kids aren’t getting to school.

Juvenile truancy court has existed since 2001, when there were 10 courts statewide.

In 2005 the two-phase truancy diversion program expanded across Kentucky under Chief Justice Joseph Lambert. It now operates in 144 schools, Yewell said.

Initially there is typically an increase in petitions filed for truancy, he said. Then they see a reduction in petitions and crimes.

“Court is not a solution,” he said. “This program gives at least an opportunity for the community to find resources and alternatives to actually going to court.”

Missing class and homework assignments can have a negative impact on a child’s education – and his or her chances to graduate.

Truancy is also a gateway to drop outs, Wiggington said. And it can signal a bigger problem, like a conflict at home or bullying at school.

It also affects finances: Public school funding in Kentucky is based, in part, on student attendance.

On average, the communities where the program is implemented see a 2 percent increase in attendance, Yewell says. The program is provided at no cost to school districts.

“We think we can definitely do that, and especially in these tight budget times, it’s important to do that,” he said.

In Franklin County, every 1 percent increase in attendance would generate $200,000 more in state funding.

Wigginton isn’t sure if there has been a financial impact on Franklin County since the program was implemented.

“I haven’t looked at it from that angle,” she said.

Data wasn’t available to compare attendance rates since the truancy diversion program started in Franklin County; the most recent numbers available are from 2008, the year the program started.

Of the children identified as at-risk for becoming habitually truant statewide, 18 percent continue to miss school, Bingham said.

The other 82 percent stay out of the court system, improving their attendance enough to avoid any charges or complaints.

“Which is a tremendous change in being able to take care of truancy issues at the front end to keep them from ever needing to be habitually truant,” she said.

In 2007-2008, the latest year with figures reported, Franklin County Public Schools sent home 535 letters to notify parents their children were truant.

Most cases were cleared up immediately, Wigginton said. Parents rewrote the sick notes their children lost, or they realized for the first time their teens were skipping school.

“There are some who have continual issues, but the majority we only see one time,” she said.

But 51 students reached the first phase of the truancy diversion program – a two-hour workshop administered by the AOC.

Ten of those students reached the program’s second phase, attending one-on-one meetings with a mentor. Four completed the program, and the other six ended up in court, Wigginton said.

So far this year, Franklin County has mailed 167 letters.

“I think it’s had an impact because the parents and students know attendance is important,” she said. “We can’t teach you if you’re not here.”

5.	Posted by Misty Sunrise December 3, 2009
	I understand about trying to stop truancy. The thing is that there are many reasons for it, all justified in the eyes of teens. Attendance is tied to school funding, in part, taxes, etc the other parts. The thing that bothers me about this article is that it doesn't address the absences and repeated tardies in elementary schools. Yes, kids this age get sick quite frequently, that I understand whole-heartedly since my kids got sick in elementary school. The thing I have a big problem with are kids whose parents bring them in constantly an hour or two late for school at least 2-3 times a WEEK. I don't know if schools or the board of education sends letters out about these instances or not. I do know that 'scores' are important because of No Child Left Behind, another unfunded mandate by the federal government. Kids who continually miss reading, math, science and social studies instruction will fall behind and the teachers are left holding the bag because these kids didn't 'succeed'. How can the teachers teach them if they aren't there? If they are going to keep teens in school, they need to start at the elementary level and get the parents to take responsibility of getting the kids there on time. I'll be honest, as a teen there were times I didn't want to go to school, but I had a great mom and dad. They usually got to the bottom of why I didn't want to go and they helped to resolve the problem if there was one. If I skipped school, though, woe unto me when they found out and they always did. It took two times and I never skipped again.