IN THE PROFESSION crisis in several ways . First , we have worked in partnership with the Fulton County Juvenile Court , Atlanta Public Schools , and Fulton County Public Schools to rejuvenate the Child in Need of Services ( CHINS ) Truancy process at the Juvenile Court . The result of this effort has been a process that prioritizes early , targeted intervention and provision of services to students who are not attending school regularly . Second , TIP has begun providing technical assistance and expertise in developing and expanding truancy efforts to court programs , parents and guardians , schools , non-profit partners , and communities across the state . By gathering information on how communities throughout Georgia are addressing truancy and chronic absence , TIP can share best practices and innovative solutions to this pervasive issue .
Why Attendance Matters
School is indispensable to the well-being of children . School is more than a place for education and academic achievement ; school is where children learn social skills , build relationships with adults other than their parents , develop independence and self-efficacy , and become part of a greater community . For the low-income students that TIP serves , school is also the only place where a child may get a healthy meal for the day , the only place where a child can play outside safely , the only place where a child can access behavioral health services , or the only place where a child can participate in enrichment activities like art or music . As an expert put it in a New York Times Magazine article : School is just so organizing and grounding for kids . ( What Have Kids Lost ?, Sept . 12 , 2021 , pg 58 ).
Pandemic-related school closures in 2020 and 2021 ripped this organizing and grounding force out from underneath children nationwide . School closures prevented students from enjoying new experiences , making social connections , and maintaining their relationships . ( Innovate Public Schools , Learning Loss , Oct . 25 , 2021 ). Unsurprisingly , the incidence of stress , anxiety , and depression in children has skyrocketed over the past eighteen months . According to an August 2021 study from JAMA Pediatrics , during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic , 25 % of children worldwide were experiencing clinically elevated depression and 20 % were experiencing anxiety . These numbers are double the usual rates for depression and anxiety in children . Among African American and Latino students , self-reported stress , anxiety , and depression have increased dramatically during the pandemic . ( Innovate Public Schools , Learning Lass , Oct . 25 , 2021 ). Mental health challenges are also more prevalent among children whose families have experienced difficulty paying for food , rent , bills , and / or have lost their jobs .
More than thirty months after the first pandemic-related school closures , these statistics drive home just how much our children , especially low-income and minority children , have lost as a result of the pandemic . Returning children to school - in person and on time- is essential to helping students regain all that has been lost academically , socially , and emotionally .
The Power of a Volunteer in Implementing CHINS
In 2014 , after several years of advocacy and education efforts , TIP and a coalition of child welfare organizations were successful in passing the first comprehensive revision of Georgia ' s Juvenile Code in forty years . This revision of the Juvenile Code recognized that certain " status offenses ," including truancy , were most appropriately handled through the provision of supportive services , not punishment by detention . The revised Code created a Child in Need of Services ( CHINS ) protocol to divert status offenses , including truancy , from formal Court intervention to supportive services for children and families alike . This emphasis on supportive services and community involvement prior to court referral led to a significant decrease in the number of truancy cases brought to the Juvenile Court . The cases that did come to court , however , were exponentially more complex , typically requiring holistic services for students and families from multiple agencies .
As the Juvenile Court began preparing to implement the CHINS protocol in earnest to address these increasingly complex cases , the COVID-19 pandemic shut down school buildings across Fulton County . School officials and court representatives appropriately pivoted to an approach of " compassion over compliance " during the period of virtual schooling , which resulted in very few truancy cases being referred to Juvenile Court . As schools have now reopened fully , the depth of the attendance crisis created by pandemic-related school closures has been laid bare . Rates of chronic absence throughout Fulton County are alarmingly high , consistent with national trends . In students , the issue lies with the student : depression and / or substance abuse , bullying at school , exploitation , or a need for special education services . TIP volunteers help by serving as an adult wholly committed to ensuring that the child gets his or her education . This can take the form of advocating for the child ' s desires in Court . Or making sure that a family gets to their counseling appointments so that they can access needed therapy . Or alerting the school when a child is being bullied on the bus or in a particular class . In short , TIP volunteers can serve as the adult in the child ' s life who consistently emphasizes the importance of education and is available to help problem-solve when challenges threatening the child ' s ability to attend school arises . the summer of 2022 , key stakeholders met to discuss a rejuvenated truancy process in Juvenile Court that would execute the vision of the revised Juvenile Code and disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by returning truant students to school and ensuring the potential for a choice-filled life .
An essential component of these efforts is the involvement of a trained , committed volunteer . As often occurs in pro bona cases , the legal problem that leads a family to seek assistance from a legal services organization is ultimately caused by a life problem . Attorneys who have worked on eviction defense cases know that the legal problem of eviction is often caused by the life problem of chronic underemployment and the resulting lack of adequate income . Truancy cases are the same in that the life problem of unreliable transportation can often lead to the legal problem of having government benefits cut off due to a missed renewal appointment . In the instance of chronic absenteeism , students ( and their families ) can become involved with the Juvenile Court if the students ' unexcused absences exceed ten . But the legal problem of a potential educational neglect or truancy charge will never be resolved until
( continued on page 19 ) www . atlantabar . org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 17