Partnering to Fight Student Truancy
Truant youth in Seminole County and their families will receive more direct help thanks to the addition of Boys Town program staff within the Seminole Truancy Alternatives for Youth (STAY) Center. – we were approached to implement
Through a partnership with the Seminole Juvenile Assessment Center, the Seminole County School Board, the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, Boys Town Central Florida is able to utilize the STAY Center to provide programming to truant teens. “While it starts with a truancy referral, there are usually other challenges in the home,” explains Troy Dunberger, Boys Town Central Florida Programs Manager. “We can get to the root of the problem to ensure children and families are getting the support they need.”
A federal grant allows a Boys Town staff member in the STAY Center to help work with and teach to the youth that were truant that particular day. Depending on what they learn from the youth and their family, this staff member can then refer the family to Boys Town’s Common Sense Parenting® classes and in more serious cases, In-Home Family ServicesSM.
These research-proven programs are already showing their effectiveness. On average, 85 percent of truant youth are in school the very next day and there is typically only a five percent recidivism rate back to the Stay Center.
To ensure that these students and their families are receiving this direct care, Boys Town Central Florida is continuing to seek funding to maintain this care for the upcoming school year. If you would like to ensure truant youth in your community go back to school, please contact Terry Knox at 407-588-2176.