House Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2435 Truancy Intervention Program (Hillsborough TIP)
Requester:	Ken Gaughan		Organization:		School Board of Hillsborough County
Project Title:	Truancy Intervention Program (Hillsborough TIP)		Date Submitted:		01/31/2000 10:50:38 PM
District Member:	Victor Crist		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	Hillsborough
Recipient:	School Board of Hillsborough County		Contact:		Ken Gaughan
	901 East Kennedy Blvd.		Contact Phone:		(813) 273-7090
	Tampa 33602
Project Description:
Hillsborough County Public Schools shall develop, implement, and operate a Truancy Intervention Program (Hillsborough TIP) to at-risk male and female students under age 16 who are enrolled in grades K-12 at participating schools, who live in one of the state's most blighted, high-crime areas, the University Area Community (unfortunately known as "Suitcase City"), and who are likely to become involved in the juvenile justice system.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
The Hillsborough TIP Program will provide the following services and benefits: A) Truancy officeres shall provide prevention/education classes to eligible students on the importance of school attendance and mandatory school attendance laws. The objective is to make students aware of how truancy can affect their lives. B) Truancy officers shall conduct merchants in the blighted, high crime University Area Community (unfortunately known as "Suitcase City"), to encourage their participation in the community-wide truancy watch program. The presentation shall cover the problem of school truancy in Hillsborough County and the role that merchants can play in helping to enforce mandatory school attendance laws. C) During school hours truancy officers shall actively look for students who are truant from school. They shall patrol both residential and commercial sections of the target area, both by car and foot, and visit the homes of students beleived to be truant from school. Truant students located shall be transported home, to school, or to the Juvenile Assessment Center where their parents shall be contacted. D) Truancy officers shall conduct home visits (planned and random) of eligable students to make parents and the community aware of the truancy problem and how to assist the school system and law enforcement with respect to the problem of juvenile truancy. E) Absenses shall be recorded as unexcused until the parent calls the school's attendance line or the student returns to school with a letter from their partents containing an acceptable explaination of their absence. A list of students living in the target area who have received an unexcused absence that day shall be generated by each participating school and forwarded to the social service aide assigned to that school. The first through fifth time that a student receives an unexcused absence within 90 calendar days, the social service aide shall contact the parents at home or work by telephone. If the aide fails to contact the student's parents during the school day, he/she shall contact them at home that evening by telephone or be mailing a letter to the parents. F) The sixth time a student received an unexcused adsence, the student's record shall be brought to the attention of the social worker for interviews with the student and parent. Following interviews, the social worker may make any referrals for community and/or school services. G) School principles shall conduct one faculty in-service training session per year regarding the Hillsborough TIP to include cases of habitual truancy, school district attendance procedures, and progress made to date to improve school attendance.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
A) In comparison to the same period of time from the previous school year, the percentage of truant students living in the target area with 15 or more unexcused absenses shall reflect at least a 10% decrease as measured by attendance data. B) An increase of at least 10% awareness of school truancy, its effects, and solutions among at least 75% of a random sample of students that completed truancy education/prevention classes. C) In comparision with the previous school year, the delinquents in the target population shall reflect at least a 10% reduction in law violations. D) Documentation is available to demonstrate compliance with process and evaluation measures for inspection upon request. E) The Department of Juvenile Justice may conduct outcome evaluations on this program to consider content, components and duration of the program.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$500,000
Total cost of the project:		$675,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?						Yes
				In-Kind Amount:		$175,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?						Yes
	Fiscal Year:	1999-2000		Amount:		$500,000
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?						Yes
	Amount:	$500,000
	Purpose for future year funding:				Recurring Operations
	Will this be an annual request?					Yes
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?						No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?						No
Is there a documented need for this project?						Yes
	Documentation:	Hillsborough County's growing truancy statistics
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?						No