By Samantha Haas, Guidance Counselor, Collington Square School of the Arts
Collington Square School of the Arts is very lucky to have the Truancy Court Program (TCP) at our school for the second year in a row! TCP is a program implemented by the Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The program helps improve student attendance.
Each semester, approximately 20 students with chronic absenteeism and/or tardiness have weekly meetings to identify and overcome barriers to attendance. A TCP Judge and Coordinator are present at each meeting along with Collington staff, the student, and parent.
Classroom teachers complete “teacher reports” for review at each meeting so the team can address academic issues in addition to attendance. Each student works towards goals and earn incentives along the way.
If students improve their attendance by 80%, they graduate from the program. A graduation ceremony is held and students receive a prize of their choosing. In the past, individuals have earned CD’s, basketballs, make-up kits and many other awesome items.
In the spring, all the graduates are invited to a ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Annapolis!
For more information about the Truancy Court Program visit:
http://law.ubalt.edu/centers/cfcc/truancy