1. Missouri Truancy Courts

2. What the heck is a truancy court?
A truancy court is a diversionary court program, wherein a school-age child with a recent history of failing-level school attendance is referred to a court program.
The court program brings together the judge, juvenile office, childrens’ division, and school administration to assert a multi-agency effort focused on improving both the child’s school attendance and grades.
The child will have interaction with the judge in the courtroom, childrens’ division at home, and the juvenile office and school administration in school.

3. Why would my school district want a truancy court?
A segment of the school population with failing or near-failing attendance.
RSMo Section Missouri’s compulsory school attendance statute.
Parents must ensure children between 5 and seventeen years of age are being educated.
RSMo Section Missouri’s school funding statute.
Funding based upon multiplying a school district’s weighted average daily attendance by state adequacy target, etc.
“90-90” rule, other considerations, such as overall student success, etc.

4. Three basic truancy court types
In-school---A judge appears in a set-aside room in the school. (Supreme Court Judge Mary Russell)
Juvenile Court---The juvenile court takes jurisdiction of the child as in any other juvenile court case, then places the child in a truancy court diversion program. (Judge Bloodworth, Butler County)
Hybrid program---The child/family is given the option of participating in truancy court, with the possibility that if he/she doesn’t participate and doesn’t improve, a formal case will be filed by juvenile office and by local prosecutor (Judge Carter, Douglas, Wright, and Ozark Counties)

5. How does the child wind up in Truancy Court?
The school district is unable to correct the child’s absenteeism after working with both the child and the child’s guardians.
The school district has to come up with a working definition of “truancy”.
However worded, the definition needs to include kids whose grades are failing or close to failing in whole or in part due to truancy.
The definition should exclude kids with health problems, cool vacations, or other issues that should be handled by the school.

6. Truancy Court summons

7. What happens next? The child and family appear in truancy court
Judges, juvenile officers, and others get to use a different vocabulary than school administrators
Regular court appearances
Childrens’ division opens a file on the child’s family, to include home visits and other services
Juvenile officers check on the child at school
School personnel place the child on heightened reporting status, and report attendance and grade progress to juvenile office.

8. Truancy Court SOP

9. Does it work? 44th Judicial Circuit Truancy Court
Started accepting student referrals March 2, 2015
69 total referrals
5 children unsuccessful-custody taken by Juvenile Court
3 children-17 years of age
5 homeschool referrals
56 children successfully completed truancy court

10. 2016 Truancy Court numbers 79 children referred so far 6 unsuccessful
1 pregnant
1 moved to juvenile probation (criminal/status offense)
4 Juvenile Court jurisdiction taken
9 moved to another county
1-17 years old
4 homeschool referrals
46 successfully completed
13 still active in Truancy Court

11. How to start a truancy court
Collaboration with the following parties:
Judge
Prosecutor (who will merely have to agree to defer prosecution of parents if child in truancy court)
School administrators
Juvenile Office
Childrens’ Division
Possibly have one knowledgeable homeschool parent on staff

12. Results we have noticed (other than just numbers)
Truancy court kids show both better attendance and grades
The word of repercussions of truancy gets around
Children with problems that were not otherwise detected now become noticed, with relevant agencies getting involved
Teachers and administrators now have a tool to combat a very distressing problem
Better working relationship between schools, courts, state agencies, and families.

13. QUESTIONS?