The Juvenile Center is helping or assisting the public schools locating in Canadian County.  This is being done is several ways.  First, we operate the Canadian County Educational Center (CCEC).  Each school district contracts for slots or spaces in CCEC, and those districts select the students to attend school at CCEC.  Many of the students with behavioral problems in a traditional school setting do much better at CCEC.  The increased structure, tutors and the smaller class size are credited for the improved performance by the students.
Not only is this helping the individual students, but it also helps the school districts.  Before coming to CCEC, most of these students had behavioral problems at public schools.  They were disruptive in class and may have been suspended from public school.  We are placing the student in a setting where he can succeed, but we are also helping the teacher to succeed, to teach, by removing the disruptive behavior from the classroom. 

In addition, Canadian County is perhaps the only county in the State of Oklahoma that regularly files juvenile cases to address truancy issues.  We know the importance of education.  Education is important not only to the individual, but also to society.  In a truancy case, the juvenile is placed on Rules of Probation.  These rules will require the juvenile to attend school, and to obey the rules of school.  If a juvenile fails to comply with his Rules of Probation, he could be placed in the sanction program for 3,4 or 5 days.

As part of  its 2010 - 2011 budget, the Canadian County Children’s Justice Center included an enhanced truancy program.  This is going to help teachers and schools as follows:

1. We know there are attendance problems with younger students.  There has always been a reluctance to file a truancy case against an elementary school student because the problem usually is the parents or guardian not getting the child to school.  At every grade level, a student will fall behind if they don’t attend on a regular basis.  School will become increasingly more difficult, and eventual graduation from high school is unlikely.  In addition, if a young student is not required to go to school every day, the student is likely to develop an attitude that school must not be very important.  We must show young students that school is important by insisting on their attendance and participation every day.

2. Our attendance efforts will continue through high school.  We will have officers based in the schools that will address attendance issues early  - - many times before it qualifies for court involvement.  Our hope is that we will catch truancy issues before the student falls behind and feels overwhelmed.

3. Our school based officers will also address behavior problems in the schools, especially when it involves a juvenile already on probation.  We feel that everyone benefits from early intervention.  We can stop the disruption in the classroom so that the other students can focus on learning.  Many times a situation can be diffused before it escalates to more serious, delinquent acts. 

We will continue to look for ways to partner with the schools to provide services to the juveniles and families of Canadian County.