Truancy Court returns kids to class

Judge Raima Ballinger stared down at the teenage boy before her,
pausing a moment to consider his seven recent absences from school
and failure to complete any of his court-ordered community
service.
“He has lost his driver’s license,” she decides. “Right now,
it’s gone.”
The boy tears up but accepts the consequence. He’s there, he
tells her, out of respect and not to argue. He’s well known to
Ballinger and Sonoma County’s Truancy Court for missing too many
days in school without an excuse, behavior that already led to
community service at an earlier court appearance.
The Truancy Court is a collaboration between the Sonoma County
District Attorney’s office, the courts and the Sonoma County Office
of Education to help guide truant youngsters back to the classroom.
Authorities say the minors who appear—ranging in age from 13 to
17—are there for their own good, not to be punished.
“It’s well known that there’s a higher percentage of adults who
end up in prison who dropped out of school compared to those who
stayed in,” said Sonoma County District Attorney Stephan
Passalacqua. “We want kids to be busy in school and vocational
training instead of getting in trouble and committing crime.”
Last year, Sonoma County school districts sent 2,773 “second
warning” letters to the parents of truant children. By county
policy, these letters are also sent to the District Attorney, which
in turn sends its own letter to the family explaining the law and
the consequences of breaking it.
The letters are enough to persuade most students to stop
skipping school, but tough love is needed in some cases. Of those
2,773 letters sent, SCOE only sent 90 cases to the District
Attorney for Truancy Court last year.
Many of those 90 students—like the boy who lost his license—are
called before the judge to explain. One-by-one they come before
Ballinger, but their experiences can be very different.
For some, like the girl who hadn’t been to school in nearly a
month, Ballinger appears to be everything like the hardnosed judges
made famous on television. The girl appears without her mother—who
she claimed ate bad sushi two days before—and admits she hasn’t
been to school since Nov. 13. The lack of a parent or guardian irks
the judge who questions the excuse.
“It may be time for her mom to go downtown,” said Ballinger,
referring to adult court.
“My mother?” asked the girl, sobbing. “What has she done?”
“You’re 15 years old,” answered Ballinger. “She’s responsible
for you.”
Ballinger tells her she’ll need to start coming to court every
week to check-in until she’s back at school on a regular basis.
“I’ll see you next week,” said the judge. “I really need to see you
in school between now and then.”
Many of the others who have returned to school see a much
warmer, motherly side of Ballinger. She welcomes them back and
celebrates their successes. She gives advice and encourages them to
stand up for themselves and what they need in school.
“You can’t give up,” she told another girl who returned for her
check-in with a glowing report from her high school. “You can’t
ever give up. If you think you’re right you really need to keep
plugging away at it.”
The girl is still struggling in one class, but is commended for
her success in another and her overall effort. “What are we
making?” Ballinger asked her. “We’re making a pattern. Something
you don’t even have to think about.”
Even the boy who lost his license sees warmth as Ballinger
encourages him to finish his community service so she can return
his license to him early next year. When he exits the judge and
representatives from SCOE and the DA agree: “he’s a good kid.”
Patricia Law, the Director of Alternative Education for the
Windsor Unified School District, called Truancy Court a valuable
tool for the community. “Sometimes it’s easy for parents to ignore
letters when it’s just a communication from the school, especially
if they’ve had a history of attendance issues,” she said. “Once you
include an outside agency like the District Attorney, I’m sure it
catches their attention.”
Ballinger attributes the success of Truancy Court to a
close-knit team that includes Deputy District Attorney Esther
Lemus, SCOE liaison Tom Joynt, herself and the staffs of each of
their respective organizations. The three each spoke last week to
their dedication to the program and the need for a consistent group
who can track individual student successes and failures.
“The Truancy Court itself is very unique,” said Lemus. “We all
come together as a team to work with a child to remember any
problems they’re having at school. There’s a lot of issues at play
with many of these kids. Some are afraid to go to school because
someone has threatened to fight them.”
Lemus oversees thousands of letters sent by Sonoma County school
districts and drafts letters to their parents explaining the law
and the consequences for not coming to school. Under the state’s
Education Code students who do not go to school can be fined $100,
assigned community service and could even have their license
revoked. Parents who do not send their children to school can face
stiffer punishment if charged with contributing to the delinquency
of a minor.
Unlike adult court, the District Attorney would much rather
resolve an issue with a child than punish them.
“It’s our hope we can get these kids back in school and back on
track and it’s very rewarding when that does happen” said Lemus.
“We work hard to resolve whatever the issue is. We’ve seen kids
come in with a certain demeanor and after working with them for a
couple months they’re completely different people.”
Helping individual students inspires Joynt, a 40-year veteran of
the education system. While not every truant child will return to
school, he’s driven by the ones who he can help. He likens his work
to the story of the old man who chances upon a child tossing
starfish back into the sea. The old man sees the thousands of
starfish washed up on the shore and considers the futility of
trying to save them all.
“There are so many you can’t save them all so what does it
matter?” asks the old man.
The child throws another back to the sea and replies simply, “it
matters to this one.”