Truancy Project Overview
Truancy Project Orientation
Once the Truancy Project staff receives a referral, the student and parents are required to attend a 1½ hour orientation. Youth may not attend school for a variety of reasons including fear, academic failure, family issues, substance abuse and many other reasons. As an intervention program, the Truancy Project's goal is to return youth to school successfully. Therefore, we spend some time at the orientation trying to assess the youth's issues and beginning a plan to resolve the problems. This is a time for the parents and students to be educated about the Becca Law, the Truancy Project Program and what is expected of them in the future.
Orientation Dates and Times:
| Clark County | Cowlitz County |
|---|---|
| All orientations are held at Educational Service District 112 in Vancouver from 5:00 - 6:30 PM | All orientations are held at the ESD 112 office located at 3602 Memorial Park Dr. from 5:30-7:00 pm. |
| January 28, 2008 | Orientations are held twice per month. Please call the Cowlitz office at 360/575-7889 for details. |
| February 25, 2008 | |
| March 24, 2008 | |
| April 28, 2008 | |
| May 19, 2008 |
Case Management
After the orientation, Truancy Project Specialists will begin working individually with the youth. This may include meetings with the youth, parents, teachers or school counselors, visits to the youth's home and activities and events hosted by the Truancy Project staff. We may recommend academic support through tutoring, changing schools, or in severe cases, completing an adult diploma or a GED instead of a high school diploma. We may also recommend family or individual counseling and enrolling in support programs such as the Youth Workforce Program, Job Corps, or Center for Career & Academic Achievement (CCAA).
Truancy Boards
If youth continue to miss school and the efforts made to intervene are unsuccessful, then we may require that the youth attend a Community Truancy Board meeting. The Truancy Boards are made up of community volunteers who will meet with the youth and his/her parents to discuss the continuing problems. This Board will help the youth and parents make further decisions about the youth's future. Generally, the Board members, the youth and the parents sign contracts at the end of the meeting indicating their agreement on a specific course of action. If any party fails to uphold their part of the contract, the Juvenile Court may choose to intervene.
View the list of Truancy Board Members
Clark County Truancy Board Date and Times:
- Vancouver School District
- Jim Parsley Center
2901 Falk Road
Vancouver, WA 98661 | View Map | Driving Directions - 1st Tuesday and 3rd Thursday of each month from September through June.
- 3:30 - 6:00 PM
- Evergreen School District
- Tan Administration Building
13501 NE 28th St.
Vancouver, WA 98682 | View Map | Driving Directions - 4:00pm - 7:00pm
- 1st Thursday and 3rd Wednesday of each month from September through June.
- Rural Districts
- Boards scheduled as needed
Cowlitz County Truancy Board Date and Times:
Please call the Cowlitz office at 360-575-7889 for details.