- Home
- Departments
- Community Services
- Children's Services
- School Attendance
- Truancy Diversion Services
Truancy Diversion Services
When a student, age 12 - 17 years old, is referred to the Truancy Diversion Program, a Washington County social worker will provide intervention services to help with attendance problems before a child protection referral. This gives the family a chance to make important changes to fix the truancy issue. The social worker will set up a meeting with the school and parents. Together, they will make a plan to address problems that are affecting the child's education.
The meeting will involve key school staff, the truancy social worker, and the county attorney if the student is 16 years old or older. The purpose of the meeting is to talk about the specific reasons for attendance issues and create a support plan to address these problems effectively, without going to court. This level of engagement includes significant interactions, arranging appropriate services, and setting up measures for accountability.
Submit a Referral Form
In order to be accepted, all referrals must be completed in full.
Referrals will be accepted until April 19, 2024.
Initial School Efforts to Address Unexcused Absences
- Phone calls/letters sent to parents/guardians.
- Schedule meetings with school staff and any other available interventions/engagement efforts.
Additional Unexcused Absences
- Student is a continuing truant with 3-5 unexcused absences.
- Schools may submit an AIM referral.
Attendance Intervention Meeting (AIM)
- Attend an informational group meeting hosted by the Washington County Attorney's Office.
Additional Unexcused Absences
- Student is a habitual truant with 7-10 unexcused absences.
- Schools may refer these students to Washington County's Community Services or County Attorney's Office for a truancy diversion meeting.
Truancy Diversion Meeting
- A Truancy Diversion Meeting is held in lieu of court.
- Contract established to divert family from court action.
- Contract includes specific expectations and/or services for the student and parent(s).
- Contract will be monitored for the school year.
Additional Unexcused Absences
- Increased supports and interventions used to improve attendance and promote engagement.
- Social worker and county attorney, in consultation with the school, determine need for court action.
Petition to Juvenile Court
- Student and parent(s) petitioned to juvenile court.
- Upon adjudication, court will order services and appropriate accountability measures.
Upon Receipt of the Referral Form
- Washington County staff will contact the school to schedule a truancy diversion meeting.
- There is a legal obligation to give parents at least a 5-day notice before the meeting.
- Meetings will be scheduled within the last 30 calendar days before the end of the academic year.
- A standard meeting notification letter is sent with the appointment date, time, and location.
- It is expected that a school administrator or official should attend the meeting and make sure that all relevant school staff are present. This includes, but is not limited to, the child’s assigned counselor, IEP case manager, social worker, school psychologist, and chemical health specialist.
What to Expect During the Meeting
- At the meeting, the County official(s) will talk with the student to understand why the student is missing school and identify any difficulties in the student’s life. County official(s) will also explain to the student the importance of going to school and the school attendance laws. The County officials will discuss the Washington County's involvement should attendance issues persist.
- Develop a student success plan.
Monitoring Progress
- School staff is expected to and will communicate to the social worker about any additional attendance problems, so that they can consider further intervention if needed.
- The assigned truancy social worker will follow up with the student and/or family as needed to monitor compliance with the plan.
- If a student has chemical or mental health needs, remember that evaluating progress and compliance may take time due to coordination and provider waitlists.
- If a student is not following the services or expectations of the plan, but the student attends school daily with no further unexcused absences, even if not participating in class, court action cannot be pursued.
- If the student continues to miss school with unexcused absences, this plan can be used to determine if court action is needed.
- In some cases, the truancy social worker might decide to keep helping the student and family during the summer.
- However, if a student is assigned to attend summer school, the social worker won't check if the student goes to summer school.
- Not going to summer school won't lead to more intervention.
- Truancy laws only apply during the regular school year and not during summer school, unless a court says otherwise.
Contact Us
-
Truancy Staff
Phone: 651-430-6523
Email TruancyNikki Dahlstrom
Senior Social Worker
Phone: 651-275-7259
Mobile: 651-272-7014
Email NikkiAli Jascor
Social Worker
Phone: 651-275-7254
Mobile: 651-272-7122
Email AliKasia Heurh
Social Worker
Phone: 651-430-4177
Mobile: 651-272-7233
Email KasiaBailey Johnson
Social Worker
Phone: 651-430-8364
Mobile: 651-272-8321
Email BaileyMegan Roy
Supervisor
Phone: 651-430-8319
Email MeganInterpreter service is available
Locations
Cottage Grove
Forest Lake
Stillwater
WoodburyOffice Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. -
Truancy Prosecutor
Phone: 651-430-6130
Email StaffBetsey Urbas
Assistant County Attorney
Phone: 651-430-6130
Email AttorneyTheresa Leverty
Paralegal
Phone: 651-430-6149
Email ParalegalWashington County
Law Enforcement Center
15015 62nd Street North
Stillwater, MN 55082Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.