MAYOR ANNOUNCES LOCATION OF ATTENDANCE CENTER
Old East Police Precinct to be retrofitted to help truant students, their families
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 26, 2008) -Mayor Karl Dean today announced the Attendance Center to be run by Juvenile Court will be located at the old East Police Precinct off Trinity Lane in East Nashville.
The facility at 945 Dr. Richard G. Adams Drive will be retrofitted as a location where truant students will be taken, instead of Juvenile Court, and connected with services they and their families need to address the root cause of their absence from school.
“Truancy is a strong indicator that a student is at risk of dropping out of school,” Dean said. “Getting these students the help they need is important for their future and the future of our city. With a location secured, we’re now on track to open the Attendance Center by the start of the new school year.”
Dean included $500,000 in his proposed 2008-2009 operating budget for Juvenile Court to run the Attendance Center. The budget was passed by Metro Council in mid June and will take effect with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
“The Attendance Center gives us an opportunity to intervene in at-risk students’ lives earlier than we would be able to otherwise, and provide them and their families with the needed supports before they reach the point of dropping out of school,” Juvenile Court Judge Betty Adams Green said.
Under Tennessee state law, a student is considered truant after five days of unexcused absences. With the creation of a facility such as the Attendance Center, that number is reduced to three unexcused absences.
The Attendance Center location was the site of the East Police Precinct from 1988 until July 2007 when it was replaced by a larger facility nearby. Councilmember Karen Bennett represents Council District 8 where the center will be located.
“The old precinct is an easily accessible location and a good re-use of an existing Metro facility,” Bennett said.
The proposal for an Attendance Center was first announced at a truancy summit held by Dean in mid March. During the summit, representatives from Metro Police, Metro Nashville Public Schools and Juvenile Court came together to develop formal agreements on how to reduce student truancy.
Yesterday, the need for such a facility was again confirmed with the recommendations presented to Dean by Project for Student Success, a 40-member task force the mayor convened to find ways to reduce the number of students dropping out of Metro schools.
For media inquiries contact:
Bonna Johnson
615-862-6461
bonna.johnson@nashville.gov