ORANGE : Truancy Deterrent Program Uses Police

Some local students who ditched school this year found themselves suddenly handcuffed and in the back of a police car.

Though the action sounds harsh, its motive is to identify youngsters who might be headed for trouble and to help them.

Students picked up by law enforcement officers go to the Truancy Learning Center at Richland High School, said Frank Boehler, a child welfare and attendance administrator who gave the Orange Unified school board an update on the new program last week.

The center, Boehler said, “is serving as an immeasurable deterrent” to students who otherwise might be truant.

District officials agreed last summer to work with police and Orange County Youth and Family Services to set up the program with a $25,000 federal grant. The concept was based on research showing that truancy may be an indicator of serious problems such as drug use and violent behavior.

Since September, 141 truants, most of them first-timers, have been taken to the center. Once there, counselors ask them about their classes and home life, Boehler said.

Parents are called, and while the students are waiting to go home, they complete assignments dealing with decision-making and peer pressure. They are also scheduled for classes at the Orange Police Department.