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City Platform Section II, Step 12:
"Work with school and law enforcement officials, social service agencies, and community or faith-based groups to reduce truancy and keep children safe and on track in school."
Municipal leaders across the country are taking steps to help youth who are at-risk of dropping out of school or getting into trouble with the law. While this work can be difficult, those communities that have been able to bring together a variety of existing programs that work with youth have reaped benefits in higher rates of school completion, lower rates of risky or anti-social behaviors, and more young residents who become productive and contributing members of the community.
City Examples
Albany, N.Y.
In 2004, the city and partners from across multiple systems launched a Truancy Abatement Program. During the design phase, the city and county met every two weeks, allowing the city to learn about county services to address the needs of the target population, such as medical, mental health, and other issues that can contribute to truancy.
The resulting plan requires collaboration between the schools, the city police, county probation and child welfare departments, and others to reach their shared goals of preventing truancy and juvenile crime and increasing parental responsibility. Implementation of the city's truancy ordinance includes police morning pick-up of truant youth ages 7-16; a city-wide drop-off center located in the city youth services building; intake and screening by a youth service worker; and protocols for making contact with a parent or guardian and the relevant school.
The truancy center also provides tutoring and life skills training, as well as a system for family intake which includes case planning and community service referrals. Representatives of the city police and county probation departments also make joint evening home visits to reinforce the stay-in-school message.
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Boston, Mass.
In the early 1990s, Boston created Operation Night Light, a partnership between police officers and probation staff to supervise juvenile offenders in the city's high crime neighborhoods. Together they made joint evening patrols, including visits to the homes of high risk probationers, and also visited offenders' schools and worksites.
In addition, the police department underwent a major cultural shift, collaborating with local clergy and streetworkers in reaching out to young people. Finally, Boston police worked with a local employer, John Hancock, and Northeastern University to help at-risk youth, through a series of workshops on work-related skills and values, conflict resolution, time management, and internships. This approach dissuaded offenders from violating the conditions of parole and led to a reduction in youth violence.
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