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Knocking on the Door: Juvenile and Family Courts as a Forum for Facilitating School Attendance and Decreasing Truancy
Author(s) -
Shdaimah Corey,
Bryant Virletta,
Sander Rebecca L.,
Cornelius Llewellyn J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
juvenile and family court journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.155
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1755-6988
pISSN - 0161-7109
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-6988.2011.01065.x
Subject(s) - truancy , attendance , school refusal , welfare , juvenile delinquency , stakeholder , psychology , work (physics) , political science , criminology , public relations , psychiatry , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , anxiety
While there is debate about whether courts should be involved in truancy reduction efforts, less recognized is how courts can impact school attendance without lengthening their reach or further penalizing children and families. Courts are already involved with school‐related decision making in child welfare and delinquency cases. This article reports on data from a qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives (N = 64) on school attendance in Maryland. Respondents suggested that courts adopt engagement‐focused approaches to guide their work such as family assessments, school attendance plans, monitoring coordination and delivery of services, and ensuring that agencies meet their obligations to children.