'Dramatic Difference' Due to Truancy Court Intervention in City Public Schools
November 30, 2005
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
As the University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Families, Children and the Courts’ Truancy Court Program continues into its second year in five Baltimore City public schools, data indicate that there are significant improvements in attendance rates in the schools.
Currently, about 30 percent of Baltimore’s public school students are truant. On any given day, there are an estimated 6,000 absent students on Baltimore’s streets. The Truancy Court Program, however, is helping to curb those numbers. To date, dozens of elementary and middle school students who were reported as truant (truancy is defined by law as an unexplained absence for 20 or more days during the school year) have received an intervention via the program. Particularly among the elementary-age participants, the rate of absenteeism has dropped to levels that are more in keeping with average rates.
“Truancy is one of the most critical problems facing city schools,” said Barbara Babb, CFCC director and associate professor of law. “We are reaching those students who are ‘soft’ truants—they have between three and 20 unexcused absences—because it is clear they still have academic, social and emotional connections to their school. So far, we are seeing a dramatic drop in the number of days these students are absent from school without an excuse.”
The program, operating in Southeast, Highlandtown and Canton middle schools, and in Elmer Henderson and Holabird elementary schools, capitalizes on the stature and authority of an actual judge. The program consists of eight weekly, in-school sessions each quarter. The judge, a team of school representatives, the student and his or her family meet during the session to discuss the reasons why the student is not attending school or why he or she is tardy on a regular basis. The program is strictly voluntary on the part of the student and his or her family.
Each week, the judge, who volunteers his or her time and presides for the duration of the program, reviews each child’s file and calls that child and his or her parent or caregiver to the “bench.” The judge engages the child in conversation, either to reinforce and support progress or to elicit reasons why that child is failing to make progress. The student’s attendance record is reviewed and discussed, and the judge poses questions about any possible difficulties the student encountered during the week. Each child is rewarded with a small gift as progress is made and, after successfully completing the program, invited to a “graduation.”
At Elmer Henderson Elementary School, for example, 14 students participated in the program during the last quarter of the 2004-05 academic year. Unexcused absences prior to the program ranged from nine to nearly 60 days, while the same students were tardy anywhere from five to nearly 40 days. Following participation in the program, the unexcused absence rate, as well as the tardy rate, among the same students was reduced to near zero.
The program is based on an early intervention model and targets students who have from three to 20 unexcused absences, providing them and their families with links to needed social services as well as guidance and support from the schools and the courts. At the same time, the program provides links to services such as substance abuse counseling, tutoring, parenting classes, grief therapy and others.
According to Gloria Danziger, CFCC senior fellow, “The program is based on the belief that by addressing the problems underlying truant behavior early and often throughout the child’s education, there is a far greater likelihood of effective intervention into both truancy and related problems.”
In addition to the children, the program considers parents and/or caregivers to be equal partners in the process. It is supportive of parents who have exhibited difficulty getting their children to school, poor organizational skills and general “life” problems. After a home visit, a social worker and school representative engage the family, identify its particular needs and develop a plan to meet those needs.
Program coordinator Patricia Schminke noted that the rewards program provides an important incentive for the participating students.
“The rewards serve to let the student know that his or her efforts have been noticed and are appreciated by the adults,” she said. “It’s a small price to pay to ensure that these students get into the habit, and stay in the habit, of going to school every day.”
Judges and masters who have served or are serving in the program include:
• the Hon. Tim Doory (District Court for Baltimore City)
• the Hon. Katherine Curran O’Malley (District Court for Baltimore City)
• the Hon. Althea Handy (Circuit Court for Baltimore City)
• the Hon. David Young (Circuit Court for Baltimore City)
• Master Joyce Mitchell (Circuit Court for Baltimore City) (ret.)
• Master Theresa Furnari (Circuit Court for Baltimore City)
• Master Linda Koban (Circuit Court for Baltimore City) (ret.)
• Mark Friedenthal (Public Defender’s Office for Baltimore City).
Law students enrolled in the CFCC Student Fellows Program actively participate in the Truancy Court Program, serving as liaisons among the schools, the courts and CFCC. In addition, several UB students, including law students and others from the Merrick School of Business and the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, have joined the program as volunteers. They assist by tutoring, mentoring and soliciting items for the rewards program.
This program is a partnership among CFCC, the Baltimore City Public School System, the Office of the Mayor of Baltimore City and the Circuit Court and District Court for Baltimore City. It is funded by the Charles Crane Family Foundation. Additional information about CFCC and/or the Program is available by contacting Babb at 410.837.5661 or bbabb@ubalt.edu.
The University of Baltimore is an upper-division, graduate and professional university. UB—the state’s career-minded university—is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.