Fredrick Butcher, research assistant professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, and Kristen Boyer, research associate at the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, penned a piece about how schools should approach the issue of truancy. Their article, titled “Can Ohio’s approach to school truancy succeed while avoiding justice system contact?” was published in the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange.
They explained the complex factors that can contribute to a student being truant, and how involving the juvenile justice system often leads to further problems.
Butcher and Boyer detailed Ohio’s response to the concern through House Bill 410, which gives schools latitude to work with the student and his or her family to address truancy.
However, Butcher and Boyer explained there are limitations to the model because not all schools have the resources needed. As a result, more support and collaboration between various institutions is needed in order to have the best impact.