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| Home | Chief Judge Jeremiah S. Jeremiah, Jr. | Contact Us |
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OVERVIEWCOURT STAFF The Truancy Court Staff consists of: 1) Magistrate 2) Court Clerk The duties of the Magistrate are to conduct initial arraignment explain court procedure and go over all options available to the child and parent(s). The Magistrate also conducts the weekly reviews once a child has entered the Truancy Court Program. The Magistrate imposes sanctions for non-compliance and offers praise and encouragement for progress. The Court Clerk is responsible for maintaining all the files during the court session and documenting all reports that are presented to the court. The Court Clerk is also responsible for giving the parent(s) the necessary documentation when necessary for their employer, excusing them from work for court sessions. The Court Aide is responsible for keeping the court running smoothly. The court aide works closely with school personnel to call the child out of class when their case is being heard by the court. The court aide is instrumental in maximizing the amount of cases that can be heard on any given day. He/she keeps the flow of cases moving so the child’s time out of the classroom is minimized. SCHOOL STAFF The School Staff consist of : 1) Principal or a school administrator 2) Truant Officer 3) Guidance Counselor(s) 4) School Social Worker (when necessary) 5) Interpreter
The school principal or administrator is present in the truancy court because he/she can answer any questions from parents. They also supervise the other school staff to ensure the court runs smoothly. The truant officer presents the court with the student’s attendance history including tardiness. He/she gives the court a brief history of the student’s prior absenteeism and informs the court of any unexcused days missed in the current period. The student’s guidance counselor presents the court with the student’s academic record before Truancy Court involvement and monitors the student’s academic and behavioral progress while involved with the court. The student is expected to not only attend school and on time, but to also keep up with his/her work. The guidance counselor also reports on the student’s behavior while in class. Teachers report directly to the guidance counselors, who in turn report to the Magistrate with weekly progress reports. The guidance counselors also assist with testing and academic placement of the child.
PETITION (COMPLAINT) The individual school district files the petition(complaint) with RI Family Court’s Juvenile Clerks office. The petition(complaint) then is forwarded to the Juvenile Intake Office for review. Once a petition(complaint) is deemed appropriate it is then placed on the Truancy Court Calendar (usually within one week of filing). A child is not eligible for the Truancy Court if that child has any other waywrd or delinquent matters before another Judge. THE SUMMONS A summons is issued to both the parent(s) and child to appear before the Truancy Court located in the school the child attends.
THE ARRAIGNMENT When the child and parent(s) appear for the first time before the Truancy Court Magistrate they are given the choice to either have their case set down for a trial on the formal delinquency calendar or they can participate in the Truancy Court. TRUANCY COURT PARTICIPATION Once involved in the Truancy Court a child is expected to attend school every day, be on time and do his/her work. The child is also expected to behave in school and complete all classword and homework. A child’s parent(s) are instructed to attend the first three court sessions and if the child attends school every day and on time the parent no longer has to attend court unless there is a problem. The child continues to be monitored weekly for the entire school year and at the end of the year, if the child has been compliant, the petition(complaint) is dismissed. The goal is to let the student develop an educational work ethic so that he/she can achieve success without Truancy Court intervention in the future.
THE COMMUNITY COLLABORATION In each of the Truancy Courts the local community mental health organization is present. They are there to provide the families with the appropriate services and make referrals to help the child and family cope with the everyday struggles of life. In most cases when a child changes behavior in school it also transcends to the home.
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