Truancy Prevention & Intervention Services (TPIS)

The Truancy Center was renamed “Truancy Prevention and Intervention Services” during the 2020-21 school year following the onset of the Pandemic. The services provided were expanded to include a whole child approach to addressing truancy.

The Truancy Social Worker works to create, develop, implement, and coordinate supports to help prevent truancy and address the issues that cause it. Prevention and Intervention is also a collaborative effort that includes: students, parents, educators, community members, social service agencies and law enforcement representatives.

PREVENTION

District Monthly Attendance Campaign: Keeping students engaged in their education is a vital tenet of the whole-child approach. Research indicates that students who demonstrate increased attendance percentages are engaged and connected to their schools. The monthly attendance themes promoted by the Truancy Social Worker are designed to cultivate a school-wide culture and climate for daily attendance. To view the monthly themes and suggested activities, click here.

National Attendance Awareness Month: During September of each year, the Truancy Social Worker promotes and facilitates a district-wide poster contest. Students in grades Kindergarten - 12th can enter by drawing a picture using the theme for the year. 

INTERVENTION

Student Attendance Support Services (SASS): A referral based service for School Social Workers to request individual student attendance supports or a Truancy Officer well check. The Truancy Social Worker will review attendance data, consult with assigned School Social Worker or school attendance team, and make recommendations for support.

School-Wide Attendance Supports (SWAS): Schools that have an attendance rate of 90% or below may participate in a school attendance procedure review facilitated by the Truancy Social Worker. An Action Plan for improvement will be created, if needed.

Truancy Collaborative Supports: The Atlanta Public Schools Truancy Social Worker, Atlanta Police Truancy Officers, and MARTA JCPT Officers collaborate to prevent and address violations of the Atlanta City Ordinance (Sec. 106-229). The ordinance states, “Any minor age six through 15 years old who loiters, wanders, strolls or plays in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, alleys, parks, playgrounds or other public grounds, public places, public buildings, places of amusement, eating places, vacant lots, unsupervised by an adult having the lawful authority to be at such places, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on any school day shall be considered a child in need of supervision.” For more information about Truancy Collaborative Supports, click here. 

The most well-known collaborative support is the Truancy Sweep.

• A truancy sweep is when a mobile team responds to community concerns involving school aged youth in violation of Atlanta City Ordinance 106-229. This team canvasses the area of concern to identify students, verify enrollment with Truancy Social Worker, makes an assessment of the situation, then determines appropriate next steps. Based on their findings, the student is transported to school, home, local At Promise Center or juvenile detention. For more about the Truancy Sweep and the Georgia laws that address attendance and truancy, click here.