Northwest Arkansas schools, courts dealing with effects of pandemic

FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2020, file photo, math teacher Doug Walters sits among empty desks as he takes part in a video conference with other teachers to prepare for at-home learning at Twentynine Palms Junior High School in Twentynine Palms, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's frustration with teacher unions is boiling over as he attempts to get the state's schoolchildren back in classrooms. He says they are seeking a perfect solution for in-school instruction during the pandemic and is letting that get in the way of finding a workable plan to help the many kids struggling with distance learning. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 18, 2020, file photo, math teacher Doug Walters sits among empty desks as he takes part in a video conference with other teachers to prepare for at-home learning at Twentynine Palms Junior High School in Twentynine Palms, Calif. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's frustration with teacher unions is boiling over as he attempts to get the state's schoolchildren back in classrooms. He says they are seeking a perfect solution for in-school instruction during the pandemic and is letting that get in the way of finding a workable plan to help the many kids struggling with distance learning. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)

FAYETTEVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas schools and the juvenile justice system have been dealing with a spike in truancy during the covid-19 pandemic.

Matt Durrett, Washington County prosecuting attorney, said the number of Families in Need of Services cases filed through his office has jumped.

"On a yearly basis, we had been approaching 300 cases a year," Durrett said. "Through the first half of this year, we're over 200."

Durrett said his office receives most of its referrals to open Families in Need of Services cases from school districts, which each set their own limits on the number of allowed absences.

Juvenile courts handle other types of cases, including juvenile delinquency and dependency/neglect cases, but the increase in truancy cases is notable, he said.

Circuit Judge Stacey Zimmerman handles one of the two juvenile courts in Washington County. Judge Diane Warren was elected to fill the second juvenile court position and began work in January.

Judge Tom Smith handles juvenile court cases for Benton County Circuit Court. Smith said the covid-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an increase in the number of Families in Need of Services cases his court is seeing.

"We're working with the schools every day. The schools are having to adjust to a lot of things as well. You've got virtual versus live learning situations. When a student has missed days, are they covid-related or not? I think the schools are doing a good job of trying to stay on top of why kids are missing school," Smith said.

Zimmerman said Families in Need of Services cases are time-consuming and work-intensive for her staff.

Zimmerman said the state recognized the heavy load of juvenile cases in Washington County when it approved the second juvenile court judge position. The court's four delinquency intake officers had an average daily caseload of 50 juveniles over the three-year period from 2017-19, according to information Zimmerman gathered. The court's five delinquency probation officers had an average daily caseload of 45 juveniles.

During that same time, the court's two intake officers for Families in Need of Services had an average daily caseload of 60 juveniles or families. The court's three probation officers for those cases had an average daily load of 60 juveniles or families.

The recommended maximum ratio is 25 cases per officer with that dropping to 12 cases per officer with high-risk juveniles, according to the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

The number of formal cases doesn't accurately reflect the workload of the juvenile officers, Zimmerman said. Work in each case begins weeks or months before any court appearance and may continue for years after a case has been adjudicated. Some of her officers are still dealing with cases that originated in 2018, Zimmerman said.

Brittany Thornton, lead Families in Need of Services officer for Zimmerman's court, said the officers have 82 schools they have dealings with in Washington County, including some of the largest in the state. She said the schools are the source of the largest number of referrals, with parents being second.

Thornton said the first response of the officers is to determine what resources may be available to help address the specific problems of any of the juveniles referred to the court.

Zimmerman's court also operates several diversion programs for students, including Teen Court, the Youth Reporting Center, the Summer Youth Academy, Girls Circle and others, to try to keep kids in school and avoid the need for juvenile detention.

Zimmerman and Smith said they have also seen more juveniles and their families who have struggled with homelessness during the pandemic, which can complicate the work of the schools and courts.

Jim Davis,s assistant superintendent for secondary schools in the Rogers School District, said the district identified some problems during the 2020-21 school year and adopted a new approach for this school year.

The district has hired "student success advocates" at all seven of the district's schools for grades 6 through 12, which Davis said the district hopes can help reduce the need for juvenile court referrals.

"We want to be proactive and avoid FINS," Davis said. "The advocates aren't administrators, they aren't school resource officers. They are advocates for all our kids. They're in the hallways. They're having breakfast and lunch with the students. They're gathering data on kids who have been absent and working with the families and students."

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What can a judge do with a Families In Need of Services petition?

Order family services including — but not limited to — random drug screens, drug and alcohol treatment, counseling, family therapy and psychological evaluations

Place the juvenile in a treatment facility.

Place the juvenile in the Juvenile Detention Center for not following the judge’s orders.

In certain cases, transfer the custody of a juvenile.

Source: Washington County

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