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| Bourbon County Truancy Mediation Program |
In September of
2001, the Bourbon County School System implemented a
mediation program, Project PROMPT, in local
elementary and middle schools to reduce student
truancy. The program, modeled after a similar
program used in the county high school, has proven
to be successful on many levels
After seeing an improvement of student attendance in
the high school Bourbon County Project PROMPT
Truancy Mediationlevel, school officials decided to
try the a similar program targeted toward elementary
and middle school children. Grant funds from the
Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice were used to
replicate the program in grades K-8. A former
director of pupil personnel and high school mediator
was hired to oversee the project.
After three unexcused absences, the school sends a
letter informing the parents of the consequences if
their child’s attendance does not improve. Once a
student reaches six unexcused absences, the school
sends the parents a second letter notifying them
they must participate in mediation. A follow-up
letter is sent to confirm a date and time for the
mediation session. The mediation sessions are held
in a room in the county courthouse provided by local
government officials at no charge to the school. The
setting, in close proximity to courtrooms and court
personnel, conveys a strong message to parent a that
the school intends to impose the consequences if the
problem of their child’s truancy is not resolved.
The Bourbon County Project Prompt has support from
the county attorney, judge and court designated
worker.
The mediation session is divided into two sections.
The first part of the session is devoted to
discussion of the issues involving the students and
parents, which is concluded with signing an
agreement indicating that they will take necessary
steps to address the problems discussed during the
mediation session. “There has been increased
communications between parents, the schools and the
court system regarding truancy issues,” said Melissa
Oeters, director of pupil personnel in Bourbon
County. The mediator has access to the student’s
attendance records, as well as information regarding
disciplinary behavior and academic performance,
which are critical in addressing the issues
regarding the student. “The improved communications
between home and school has been invaluable in
resolving the problems,” said Oeters.
The director of pupil personnel monitors attendance
of the mediation sessions. If improvement is noted,
the director of pupil personnel may not necessarily
proceed with a court petition if the student is
absent additional times. Decisions about how to
proceed with each case are made on a case-by-case
basis. Once the student proceeds to the next grade
level, the student would be eligible again to
participate in the mediation program if attendance
becomes a problem.
The program has seen success in the Bourbon County
School System. The ADA for the schools involved in
Project PROMPT has increased from 94.45 to 95.93 in
the 2001-2002 school year. Since implementing the
program only four students have been referred to the
court-designated worker as compared to thirteen the
previous school year. The number of absences
targeted for mediation was 284 before mediation;
this number has been reduced to 89 following the
implementation of the program. “The truancy
mediation program has helped to increase student
attendance, which in turn increases student
achievement,” said Orin Simmerman, assistant
superintendent of Bourbon County Schools. |
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