DATE: Friday, November 14, 1997             TAG: 9711140642

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LORRAINE EATON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   62 lines

NUMBERS OF TRUANTS, RUNAWAYS HAVE INCREASED IN STATE

Members of a state committee studying truants and runaways agreed on Thursday to introduce a spate of legislation, the first of many steps they plan to take, to reduce the ranks of these youthful offenders.

Running away from home and skipping school are considered ``status offenses.'' They carry no criminal penalty and no provision for detention, but are often the first signs that a child is headed for trouble. But because these youths have not been in ``serious'' trouble, they are often the last in line at courts and agencies that provide counseling and other services.

``Status offenders are not a priority population,'' said Nancy Ross, executive director of the Virginia Commission on Youth, the state agency that has been working with the Task Force on Truants and Runaways.

But this is a population that is growing. New juvenile court cases for status offenses have doubled during the last nine years, from 6,908 in 1988 to 13,670 in 1996. Each week on average, 115 South Hampton Roads youths run away from home and many students skip school, although numbers were not available.

The task force's recommendations are based on findings from 11 focus groups statewide that included representatives from schools, police, social and mental health, juvenile court and private service providers. The proposed legislation includes:

Funding to design a program to train all court personnel and other agencies on legal issues impacting status offenders. In focus groups, the committee found that many professionals who come into contact with status offenders - including one commonwealth's attorney and a court services intake officer - do not know the laws regarding school attendance or runaways.

Funding for two pilot programs that reduce the numbers of status offenders and change behavior. One program that the commission highlighted for possible cloning is in Newport News. The program places school personnel with police officers on the street to search for truants throughout the school year. Local businesses and community members are also involved in the effort.

Funding to continue training of court personnel in docket management. The increase in the types and complexity of cases has jammed juvenile courts. Across the state it takes an average of six to eight weeks to bring a status complaint before a judge. For a truant, that means possibly failing a semester before a formal hearing begins.

Funding two positions to gather data on the numbers of truants and runaways statewide. There is no statewide data on truants. Most localities do not keep runaway statistics and there is limited accountability on the effectiveness of programs targeted to this population.

Expanding the Department of Education's $1.9 million Truancy Education Project which provides funds for truancy programs in school districts across the state.

In addition, task force members agreed that in 1998, they will focus on:

Finding ways to increase parental involvement in sending children to school and in solving problems that lead to truancy and runaway situations.

Increasing penalties for status offenders.

Developing a long-range funding plan for services to status offenders.

Vocational education, specifically whether these programs reach youth soon enough and offer courses of study that will lead to jobs, an incentive for staying in school.

``Truancy is a major problem in public education today,'' said Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, a task force member. ``You can't educate children if they are not in school.'' KEYWORDS: TRUANTS RUNAWAYS

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