Truancy program deemed a big success

It’s an issue that plagues many schools – both big and small – these days. That being truancy.

It’s something Garrett Junior High has been dealing with but instead of turning a blind eye, it’s something the school and Principal Melanie Teemant have been facing head on this year. From it came the Boulder City Truancy Prevention Program.

Earlier this month, the program had its first graduation ceremony in which four students, who had been truant from Garrett regularly, were recognized for turning things around. The program has been a combined effort of Teemant, Justice of the Peace Christopher Tilman and Clark County Juvenile Probation.

“This program is a first, not just for Boulder City but the whole county,” Tilman said during the presentation, which was held in his courtroom. “It had not been tried anywhere but in Boulder City. It’s really cool that we have this here and the buy-in from the public and the city.”

According to the Nevada Revised Statutes, “A pupil shall be deemed a truant who is absent from school without the written approval of the pupil’s teacher or the principal of the school, unless the pupil is physically or mentally unable to attend school. The teacher or principal shall give his or her written approval for a pupil to be absent if an emergency exists or upon the request of a parent or legal guardian of the pupil.”

Not every student in the program was at the graduation because not all of them completed it because it was not necessary. Some in the program were truant more than 30 days in just one semester.

“To those students being recognized today, congratulations,” Tilman said. “The feedback I’ve gotten, and I know this is a shocker, but when kids go to school their grades improve. It sounds funny to say but it’s a truism. You need to go to school. I don’t want to see any of you back in this court.”

The program was led by the area’s three juvenile probation officers: Jessica Delgado, Aaron Carbajal and Maria Anguiano.

“Miss Teemant came to us and said, ‘There’s somewhat of a truancy here in Boulder City.’ These are not kids we’re used to working with because they’re not on probation,” Delgado said at the graduation. “We decided to create a little program so that we can kind of get to know these kids and community members because we love this city that we work in.”

The three came up with a program that consists of one hour a month with students that Teemant recommended based on their truancy numbers. There were students who attended just one or two classes on campus, she said, and their truancy problem ceased.

“It wasn’t like a Scared Straight program where anyone was yelling or anything like that,” Delgado said. “It was open discussion about different juvenile and teen topics. We’d play games and have round-table discussions about truancy and consequences.”

Teemant and Tilman greeted each of the graduates who were awarded a certificate as well as gift cards from Bret Runion at Desert Sun Realty as well as ones from juvenile probation.

“This program is about a positive approach to keeping you focused on being proactive, which includes attendance,” Teemant said, noting there are about 75 kids at Garrett who have truancy issues. “Sending out truancy letters is one side. This is the other side where we want to lift you up and allow you to show that you are a leader. That’s why you’re here. You’ve taken some big steps toward that improvement.”

Teemant added, “It’s a great success to say, ‘I’ve picked myself up and I changed my habits.’ Sometimes that’s all it takes. When you change those habits, it means you’re ready for that next step to achieve even more.”

More background

In the days following the graduation, both Tilman and Teemant spoke with the Review to provide more information on the program and the overall truancy problem.

“It has increased exponentially since COVID, and we are addressing those concerns on an individual basis,” Teemant said of truancy. “Absenteeism rates should always be below 10%, and Garrett has not had that happen in the seven years I have been there.

“Chronic absenteeism has a direct correlation to poor grades, students who are frustrated learners, and social issues. If a student is not in a seat to learn from the teacher, they are missing valuable instruction that manifests itself in their grade, individual confidence, and the ability to make connections between concepts.”

She added that students also struggle socially, as their peers are there each day connecting to others and building lasting relationships.

“This is so important to middle school students and we emphasize these concepts to avoid students having these struggles,” she said. “It is the same issue at all of our Boulder City schools, and parents must prioritize education, and then together we can focus on those individual needs every student has.”

For Tilman, he praised the probation officers but also Teemant and the school. He’s confident that truancy will continue to decline.

“Garrett is very diligent about this (truancy), they really watch it,” he said, noting that his juvenile court calendar is often filled with truancy cases. “That’s not a slight to any other school, they’re just very on it. I think it’s also just that age of hitting puberty and they start being resistant to going to school for whatever reason. We have had some parents say, ‘This is on me because I didn’t know the policy of excusing them.’”