|
WEEKEND TRUANCY PROGRAM
Truancy is a
symptom or outcome of various conditions and circumstances that eventually lead
to a student not attending school. It is one of the earliest indicators of
students needing help and if not addressed effectively, can result in a student
eventually dropping out of school. Working with each truant student as soon as
attendance issues become known is one of the earliest opportunities to identify
and address a student’s learning and social and emotional needs with the goal of
the student becoming more engaged in the learning process and on a path toward
academic success.
Purpose
The purpose of El Pueblo’s
Weekend Truancy Program is to provide a structured program of various types of
psycho-social and/or behavioral treatments:
·
to prevent or
reduce the need for placement of the child out of the home or community
·
for Students who
have persistent, chronic nonattendance problems with the public school setting
and who demonstrate learning and behavior disorders which may inhibit the
learning process
·
for families who
need extra skills and support to encourage their child’s participation in a
relevant, rigorous, purposeful education
The
therapeutic focus of the Weekend Truancy Program is to establish a pattern of
recovery in the lives of the Students and to assist them in gaining skills to
manage their emotions and behaviors in conjunction with obtaining academic
skills leading to a high school diploma or GED. Incorporated into this program
is an emphasis on family therapy.
The goal of this program is for
the Students to come to a greater understanding of their strengths and abilities
and to then develop new skills/tools for effective coping and constructive
behaviors involving all family members. The goal of treatment is to establish a
pattern of recovery and prepare the student and their family to succeed as
productive members of the community.
Expected Outcomes of the Weekend Truancy
Program
El Pueblo has a
proven record of strategically planning and affectively delivering fiscally
efficient programs. Expected outcomes of the Weekend Truancy Program are:
·
↑
increase compliance with Colorado
Department of Education attendance policy
·
↑
increase student retention
·
↑
increase graduation rates
·
↓
decrease criminal charges and detention
rates among Pueblo’s highest risk students
·
create a healthier community
SERVICES PROVIDED
·
Case Management
·
Education
·
Therapeutic Interventions
·
Individual Therapy
·
Family Therapy
·
Group Therapy
·
Substance Use/Abuse Education
·
Community to Community Support
Human Service Need in
Pueblo County Being Addressed
Based on 2005 – 2006 data
published by the Colorado Department of Education, Pueblo County had
approximately 250 open truancy cases or children missing from the classroom
2.50% of the 175 available seat days during that school year. While there
is not an abundance of national truancy data, some metropolitan areas report
thousands of unexcused absences each day.
|
|
Student Fall Enrollment
(Middle / High School Students) |
Total
Days Possible Attendance For
All
Students
(Middle / High School Students) |
Total
Student Days Unexcused Absent
For
All Students
(Middle / High School Students) |
|
Pueblo City 60 |
8,415 |
1,443,282 |
47,537 |
|
Pueblo Rural 70 |
4,622 |
831,090 |
9,249 |
Truancy is
a status offence – an act that is a crime due to the young age of the actor,
but would not be illegal for someone older. The other most common status
offences are running away from home, alcohol use, curfew violation, and
ungovernability.
In 2005
Pueblo County experienced a 42% drop out rate. Data from the 2000 census
show that high school dropouts had only a 52% employment rate in 1999,
compared to 71% for high school graduates, and 83% for college graduates.
Of those who worked full time year around in 1999, high school dropouts
earned only 65% of the median earnings. It should be noted that the median
income in Pueblo County in 2004 was $35,683, thus the earning ability of a
Pueblo County drop out is $23,194. Births to women with less than 12 years
education in Pueblo County is 30.8%, thus kids under age 18 living in
poverty in Pueblo, Colorado, is 18.6%, as compared to 11.4% Statewide.
As of 1997,
41% of prison inmates and 31% of probationers 18 years and older had not
graduated from high school or earned a GED, compared with 18% of the general
population.
Population Served
·
Males and Females between the ages of 10 - 18 years –
o
alternating weekends between genders with no more than three years
age difference
o
maximum of 10 students per weekend
·
Youth from Pueblo County, to include Pueblo Citywide Schools and
Rural School District No. 70
| 
A Licensed Provider by the
