DEPARTMENT: Municipal Court
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Presiding Judge Carla D. Obledo
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Truancy Intervention and Prevention Program Grant submission and acceptance upon approval, in the amount of $708,037.54, from the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor's Office, through Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG).
SUMMARY:
This ordinance approves the submission of a Truancy Intervention and Prevention grant application and acceptance of funds, upon award, of up to $708,037.54, from the Criminal Justice Division of the Governor's Office, through the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), for the period of September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022. It authorizes a personnel component of ten (10) Juvenile Case Managers, one (1) Senior Juvenile Case Manager and one (1) Juvenile Case Manager Counselor. This will be the fifth year Municipal Court applies for the grant. In FY 2020, the City applied for and was awarded $781,458.85 for the Truancy Intervention and Prevention Program. Municipal Court, in accordance with the San Antonio/Bexar County Joint Committee on Truancy, recognizes the significance of intervention and prevention services for youth. Addressing the underlying challenges families encounter is the key to success.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Truancy limits students' educational opportunities, increases the likelihood of students engaging in harmful behavior and reduces the amount of funding that local school districts receive through the state's school system. In Bexar County, efforts to address truancy are complicated by the large number of local jurisdictions, disparate filing methods and a high level of student mobility among school districts. Add to that the challenges each district has due to COVID-19.
ISSUE:
Long-term effects of providing juvenile case managers for intervention, prevention, diversionary and re-engagement efforts for at risk students include decrease in truancy and an increase...
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