1. Combating Truancy Knox County Truancy Initiative and the
Knoxville Police Department
Tammie D Gentry

2. Safe Policy Board Create policy to help and protect children
Develop intervention and prevention programs to reach out to children at early ages
Create partnerships with government and local social service agencies
Create Truancy Initiative and other programs for youth and families

3. Problems For Knoxville
56,000 Students in Knox County School System
5,000 are truant everyday
Daytime juvenile crime increases: vandalism, burglary, and auto theft
Truants have a high rate of committing crime or becoming victim of crime
Increase in juvenile gang and drug involvement

4. Truancy
Truancy is any day missed from school without permission or documentation.
Documentation is to verify that it was a legitimate absence. Without it, the day becomes an unexcused absence.
Knox Co. allows 5 days for documents to be brought in.

5. Truancy is a Gateway Crime
Usually a predictor of more delinquent behavior (OJJDP, 2)
Preventing truancy should be a two phase operation. On one hand, the initiative should protect children to prevent victimization. On the other hand, the initiative should prevent children from committing crimes when they should be in school.

6. Criminal Evolution J. J. S. C. J. S. $$$$ $$$$$ Youthful Offender
2500
$$$$
$$$$$
2000
Chronic
Serious
Violent
Youthful
Offender
1500
High Risk
Career Criminal
1000
500
At Risk
<

7. FAMILY VIOLENCE PATROL FAMILY 86% SELF ABUSE DRUGS REPORTS F.I.
SUICIDE ATTEMP
FAMILY
VIOLENCE
SELF
ABUSE
PROSTITUTION
DRUGS
PREGNANCY
DRUG
BABYS
S.T.D.
V.D.
H.I.V.
PROMISCUITY
LOW BIRTH WT.
NEGLECT
RUNAWAY
ABUSE
86%
REPORTS
VIOLENT
F.I.
SERIOUS
PATROL
FAMILY
CHRONIC

8. Issues Correlating to Truancy
Family Factors: These include lack of guidance or parental supervision, domestic violence, poverty, drug or alcohol abuse in the home, lack of awareness or attendance laws, and differing attitudes toward education.(OJJDP,2)

9. Correlations Cont’d School Factors: school size attitudes of teachers
inflexibility in meeting the diverse cultural and learning styles of the students
Inconsistent procedures in dealing with truants (OJJDP, 2)

10. Correlations Cont’d
Economic Influences: employed students, single-parent homes, high mobility rates, parents who hold multiple jobs, and a lack of affordable transportation and childcare.(OJJDP, 2)
Student Variables: drug and alcohol abuse, lack of understanding of attendance laws, lack of social competence, mental health difficulties, and poor physical health. (OJJDP, 2)

11. Economic Impact Less Educated Workforce
Business Loss because of youths hanging out on store front or shoplifting
Higher daytime crime
Cost of social services for families
Can cost community $2.2 million to care for one high school drop out who becomes involved in crime and drug abuse(OJJDP, 3 and Morgan, iii)

12. Role Play School Juvenile Court Truancy Center School Court Liaison
The District Attorney’s Office
Knoxville Police Department
Community Agencies

13. The School’s Role Accurate Attendance Records
Informing Truancy Center and Social Worker of chronic truants
Exhausts all resources and documents such work

14. Juvenile Court’s Role Make referrals through court system
Final destination of the truancy process when all community resources have been exhausted
Judge court orders use of resources, place in detention, or place on probation or in state custody

15. Truancy Center’s Role Prevention and intervention services
Contact parent, school, social worker, probation officer or social service agency, when students brought in
Monitor student’s attendance and do follow-up for next three months
Do assessments and counseling of student and family to determine cause of truancy
Make necessary referrals based on assessments
Build a case by documentation and referral of services to help school personnel and District Attorney in case student goes to court

16. School Court Liaison’s Role
Pre-court hearings and referral of services
Pull attendance records and verify data
Presents the District Attorney with students to be considered for prosecution

17. The District Attorney’s Role
Prosecute families guilty of truancy
Offer more services before punitive consequences
Conduct the Parental Responsibility Meeting and the Truancy Review Board.

18. Law Enforcement’s Role
Trained in truancy initiative
Making it part of the standard operating procedures
Pick up students while on patrol or when dispatched to home when student is refusing to attend school and transport to truancy center

19. Parental Responsibility Meeting
Conducted by District Attorney
Invites families of 10 or more unexcused absences
Partner social service agencies set up booths to offer services to families
Parents given opportunities to speak with school social workers and ask for help or explain absences

20. Truancy Review Board Conducted by District Attorney’s Office
Members include law enforcement, social service agencies, and experts in medical and mental illness fields
Meets with chronic truant families
Search for scope of causes of truancy
Offer services and counseling
Last step before filing charges against parent/child

21. Community Agencies
Provide assistance where court and law enforcement are limited
Provide Mentoring
Provide Counseling
Provide Family Assistance
Provide Financial Assistance
Play role in court proceedings

22. Agency Partnerships DCS- Department of Children Services
DA- District Attorney
Juvenile Court
Boys and Girls Club of East Tennessee
Knox County School System
KCDC-Local Housing Projects
Compassion Coalition
Child and Family Tennessee

23. Building Necessary Partnerships
It is absolutely necessary that partnerships are formed to make the truancy initiative successful.
Possible Partners
Department of Children’s Services
Juvenile Court
School System (Knox Co. Schools)
District Attorney Office
Boys and Girls Club
Law Enforcement (Knox. Police Dept.)
Local Housing Project Association (KCDC)
Local Youth Organizations
Local Social Service Agencies

24. What Partnerships Provide
Provide a steady contact for referral and services
Provides ongoing information regarding the student
Provides quick access to those working with student (i.e. probation officers, case managers)
All partners meet and staff on students monthly to assess the student further
Makes everyone aware of the situation

25. Results of Initiative 30% decrease in daytime juvenile crime
Attendance rate for Knoxville is at 96% :above the state average of 93%
Helping schools not fail under No Child Left Behind Law for attendance reasons
Locates families who are in need of services that otherwise may not get help
Locates neglected children

26. References
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Juvenile Justice Bulletin, September 2001.
Morgan, John G., Comptroller of the Treasury. Office of Educational Accountability for the State of Tennessee, January 2004.