The Truancy Task Force, when it was started over a decade ago, had members who believed that:

• Early intervention with families of truant children is best.
• Intervention at the middle & high school level is often punitive, expensive, and it may not address the underlying cause of the behavior.
• The community needs to prepare students for what is expected of them in a work environment, including expectations pertaining attendance.
• Communication and teamwork between schools, families, health care providers, and helping agencies is essential to addressing the problem of truancy.

In particular, it was important to the members to create a process – a protocol – that outlined a uniform process for school districts around York County to follow. This would help to improve the understanding of the truancy laws and expectations for students and parents.

The school district representatives themselves met to draft and distribute a York County Attendance Protocol. All members of the Truancy Task Force have supported this document for many years. Annually the protocol is sent to each York County School District to gather feedback on what elements are being followed and to gather feedback on why a district may not be following an element.

Today, the York County Attendance Protocol still exists, with a recent revision to include more specific intervention points, a uniform Truancy Hearing Checklist, and a York County Truancy Elimination Plan.

Truancy Response Group