Logan, a USD 290 student, became the first graduate of the Franklin County District Court Truancy Program in a ceremony held on Thursday, April 24, 2014.
In front of a packed courtroom of students and family members, Magistrate Judge Kevin Kimball, founding judge of the Truancy Court Program, congratulated Logan for successfully completing all three phases of the program and being the first graduate.
The Franklin County Truancy Court Program is modeled after the successful problem-solving courts being implemented throughout the country to address drug and mental health issues. The Truancy Program attempts to deal with student attendance problems before the problems reach the level where formal Child-in-Need-of-Care proceedings are initiated; resulting in higher success rates and reducing the time, resources and expense of formal court proceedings for the students, families and court. Once a student reaches the number of unexcused absences deemed to be legally truant, they are given the opportunity to voluntarily enter the Franklin County Truancy Program instead of formal charges being filed.
The key component of the Truancy Program is the frequent and direct interaction between Judge Kimball, the student and their families. As students progress through the three phases of the program, the students and their parents must appear in front of the judge on a regular basis. Prior to each court appearance, a team of professionals, including the judge, court staff, the Guardian Ad Litem attorney, the prosecutor, and Juvenile services staff meet and discuss up-to-minute information on the student and their school attendance. The Franklin County Juvenile Services staff then meets through-out the school week with the students, parents, and school officials. As the students progress through the program phases by attending school and performing well in classes, they are rewarded for their accomplishments, with the graduation ceremony the final step.
The Franklin County Truancy Court Program was first implemented in the fall of 2013 and was developed through collaboration between school officials, the Fourth Judicial District, the Franklin County Attorney’s office and the Franklin County Juvenile Services department. The program is designed to ensure the student is re-engaged in their educational process by effective monitoring and by providing quality services to address the cause of the student’s attendance problems.
The program’s mission is to reduce non-compliance of the Kansas compulsory attendance statutes, foster regular school attendance and promote student achievement. The Truancy Court Program is based on the belief that school attendance and success not only benefits the students, but the community as well.
The number of referred participants, as of this date, has exceeded projections. Currently, 18 students from 4 Franklin County school districts are participating in the Truancy Court Program, many are well on their way to successfully completing the three phases and graduating.
It also should be noted that the Franklin County Truancy Court Program did not seek or require any additional funding to implement the program. The judge and other Team members incorporated these new duties into their existing schedules. The program recently requested some minimal funding from the Fourth Judicial District Community Corrections Program preventative services grant funds with the idea of expanding the program into the other three counties in the Fourth Judicial District.
Once the 2013-2014 school year ends, formal evaluation and review of the first year of the program will occur.