WHAT IS TRUANCY MEDIATION?

Truancy Mediation is a process that helps parents, caregivers, and schools find a fair and workable solution to children's truancy problems. The mediation process is a private, confidential way of communication that does not focus on blame or fault. The purpose of truancy mediation is to resolve the attendance problem, or to at least seek reasonable solutions to the problem, in a positive, supportive atmosphere.

IS TRUANCY PREVENTION IMPORTANT?

Continual absences and tardiness of students are often the first signs of underlying family dysfunction, including child neglect and abuse. Delayed intervention increases the chance that children with these types of family problems will become unruly and/or delinquent as they grow older. Because of their circumstances and behavior, these "at-risk" children may not be successful in school and have an increased chance of developing poor self esteem, unemployment, poverty, substance abuse, and incarceration as they grow older.

USING MEDIATION TO ADDRESS TRUANCY

Since 1997 an increasing number of schools in Ohio have used mediation in an attempt to deal with the issue of student attendance. Properly applied, mediation has been wonderfully successful in raising attendance by lowering unexcused absences and tardiness.

TRUANCY PREVENTION THROUGH MEDIATION PROGRAM

The Community Mediation Center of Stark County is active in conducting truancy mediations in the Canton City School, Canton Local School, and Plain Local districts.   The Mediation Center also provides assistance in program development and training to the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution.

The Truancy Prevention through Mediation Program is unique in that it requires families, schools, juvenile courts, and social service agencies to work collaboratively to address the issue of chronic absenteeism and truancy.   At participating schools, students with 5 or more absences in a grading period or 10 or more absences throughout the school year are referred to the program.   Once a student has been identified, the school contacts the parent/legal guardian by letter to appear at a scheduled mediation hearing.   A parent/legal guardian, trained mediator, school representative, and in some cases, the student, participate in the mediation.   The mediator serves as a neutral third party helping to facilitate discussion of the issues surrounding the child's unexcused absences and works to develop a mutually agreeable resolution to the problems.   Should the child incur subsequent absences after the mediation, the parents are referred to juvenile court and warned the child may be charged as an unruly or delinquent child and the parents may be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and/or violation of the state revised code regarding compulsory education.

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

  • Reduce the number of unexcused absences.
  • Reduce student truancy referrals to court.
  • Mediated agreements are durable because participants designed them.
  • Action plans are created to address issues identified during mediation.
  • Successful mediation and favorable results are an alternative to involvement with the justice system.
  • Improve school and family partnership.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

  1. The family will be equal partners with the school in the effort to identify issues and develop effective agreements that will allow the child to be more successful.
  2. School will identify participants on the basis of unexcused absences. The mediation process will consider input from all participants concerning the need for additional services.
  3. A designated school site coordinator along with a classroom teacher will monitor the participant's attendance and agreements. Failure to comply will result in referral to juvenile court.

RESULTS

According to the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution's program data, by the middle of the 2007-2008 school year the Truancy Prevention Through Mediation Program will be in approximately 475 schools in 31 counties, although both numbers could be higher as many communities look at this successful model for reducing truancy.   Thousands of mediations were conducted this school year.   In all of the counties submitting post mediation data, statistically significant reductions in the number of absences or tardiness were demonstrated for those students/families that participated in the program.

INTERESTED IN MORE INFORMATION?

If your school is interested in Truancy Prevention through Mediation and would like further information, please contact the Mediation Center or the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution.