As with all problem behaviors among young people, it is essential to collaborate with diverse school and community members when tackling the problem of truancy. For example:

• If you do not yet have a prevention planning team with a diverse range of school and community members, begin to put one together. Or, if you do have a solid team in place, consider creating a task force to work on the problem of truancy. Try to make sure that such a group includes school staff, parents, law enforcement, business leaders, the faith community, and students.

  At Peninsula High School we have just this year started a Truancy Task Force. It is very new and still in the needs assessment period. Members of the task force include the following:

  • Chair - Community Mobilization Specialist, works for Safe Streets, a local CBO (NB which means built-in sustainability since School Security Coordinator doesn't chair)
  • School SRO
  • Communities in Schools
  • Youth Coach from city CBO serving our area
  • Parent
  • Cofounder of Ignite Mentoring Program
  • Prevention Coordinator (that's yours truly, in second of three-year National Coord. Grant)
  • Probation Officer
  • Family Preservation Therapist from Catholic Community Services
  • School Nurse
  • Executive Director of Key Peninsula Community Services

  - Marilyn R. Perks
  Prevention Resource Coordinator
  Puget Sound ESD at Peninsula HS

• Generate public discussion of truancy issues and policies with school staff at school board meetings, with parents and teachers at PTA meetings, and with diverse community members in other public forums.

• Consult with your district attorney about the link between truancy, substance abuse, and crime in your area and how you might collaborate to address these problems.

• Collaborate with your police department on truancy prevention and intervention efforts. For example, start a "truancy patrol" and engage local businesses and residents to participate. When youth are caught skipping school, they can be reported to the school system and either returned to class or home to their families.

• Make sure that schools and social service agencies are working with at-risk students as well as their families, since truancy often stems from various challenges in students' homes.

To learn more about collaborating with school and community partners throughout the prevention planning and programming process, please visit the National Center's past on-line event Promoting Prevention Through School-Community Partnerships.

From:

Join Together Online. (January 1998). Keeping kids in school. Boston, MA: Author.