Child Search L ouisiana Office of Youth Development Simon G. Gonsoulin Acting Assistant Secretary

EDUCATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT Agreement Signed November, 1999 Implementation Plan Completed April, 2000 Quality Assurance Started September, 2000 All Staffing Requirements Met Summer, 2001 Completion of All Construction April, 2002 Final DOJ/Plaintiff Visit Summer and Fall, 2002 State Petitioned for Dismissal December, 2002 Dismissal from Education Settlement January, 2003

Educational Profile of Students Entering Louisiana’s Juvenile Justice Secure Care Facilities 44% of our students are 17 years of age or older 28% of our students enter reading below a third grade level 39% of our students enter below a basic literacy level 68% of our students enter reading and calculating math at or below the secondary grade level 87% of our students enter our schools having been suspended or expelled during their last year in public school

POPULATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION BREAKDOWN FacilityPercent of School Population Prior to Child Search Effort (April 2000) Average Population (May 2004) Average Special Education Enrollment (May 2004) Percent School Population Special Education (May 2004) BCCY32%763242% JCCY21% % SCCY27% % TOTAL SYSTEM 26% %

POPULATION BY DISABILITY Disability Category Number of Students Percent of Secure Population Learning Disabled11021% Emotional/Behavior Disorders 8917% Mentally Disabled194% Other Health Impaired143%

Education Quality Assurance Compliance Percentage

Child Search  Child Search is a process of identifying and tracking students that have “fallen through the cracks” of the educational, medical, and/or mental health systems prior to placement in secure care and during the youth’s confinement to OYD.

Child Search The goal of Child Search is to achieve a seamless delivery model across all departments that ensures that each student’s unique and special needs are fully met in a timely manner.

How did Child Search develop? Child Search resulted from the monitoring process included in the Quality Assurance Program. The monitoring process revealed several students with “special needs” that were not being fully addressed by the different disciplines that offer services to Louisiana’s secure care population. These needs were either educational, behavioral, and/or medical/mental health related.

Why did Child Search develop? Early identification We needed to develop a better method of Referral problem solving for youth

Child Search Procedure The Child Search coordinators attend weekly intake staff meetings which include representatives from regular education, special education, social services, medical, mental health, security, and religious services. The representative from each department reports the information available for each student.

Child Search Procedure The Child Search coordinator reviews the transfer data that are pertinent to education on every student as they enter the facility. This may include: Achievement test scores, previous grade placement, age, level of cognitive functioning, medical or mental health histories, educational placement and history.

Child Search Procedure The intake meeting has proven to be the most critical component of the Child Search process because a wealth of information is obtained on every student. Many referrals are made at this point of entry.

Student Tracking Information obtained from the intake meeting is entered into a database which tracks every student that has a history or current diagnosis of ADHD or depression, students currently taking medication for either of these disorders, and the special education disability (if any) for these students.

Child Search Tracking Youth’s Name SMISp Ed Excep Current DX of ADHD Current Meds. For ADHD Current DX of Depression Current Meds for Depression Previous HX of ADHD Previous HX of Depression Moore YesNoYes No Yes Narcisse No Yes Nixon No Yes Peltier No YesNo YesNo Robertson YesNo Yes Taylor No Yes No YesNo Thomas No Yes

Student Tracking Students that are given intellectual screening tests at the diagnostic unit and score in the mildly impaired range are tracked using a separate list. If these students are not already identified as special education students, they will be immediately referred to the SBLC to rule out cognitive concerns.

Medication List Review The Child Search coordinators regularly review the list of students that are prescribed psychotropic medications and those that are identified as Seriously Mentally ILL (SMI). The database is updated accordingly.

Disciplinary Ticket Review Copies of disciplinary tickets for every student are provided to the Child Search coordinators to review. A determination is made of the number of tickets issued in the school setting. If a particular student receives numerous tickets for two or more months, and that student is not receiving counseling services from special education or mental health services, then that student will be referred.

Referral Process CHILD SEARCH School Building Level Committee Mental Health Services Medical/InfirmaryAdministration

SCHOOL BUILDING LEVEL COMMITTEE

Child Search The Child Search process has undergone several modifications and adaptations since its original conception to accommodate the significant growth and change that has occurred within our system.

Current Child Search Tracking Form Student DOB Entry Dates SPED/Counseling MED MR PSY RX ADHA SMI DISCIP to F ’s REF/SBL 110/06/0705/03AsthmaXX7(3) 6(1) 2(0)X 210/20/8601/02SLD** /25/8809/03In Process3(3) 5(4) 6(1)XX01/04 408/23/8601/04ED/SLDDiabetic25(12)X04/04IEP 503/20/8811/03Head Trauma HX 11(7) 11(8)XX 607/23/8701/01X12(1) 16(2) 14(1) 709/10/8605/02MiMD*HX 11(5) 7(4) 5(4)XX03/04

Summary Review intake data on every student Attend weekly intake staff meeting Make any referrals resulting from intake Update tracking lists Review on an ongoing basis: medication and SMI lists, special education roster, students with cognitive concerns, disciplinary tickets, more restrictive housing and grades. Make referrals as needed