The Cherokee Nation Department of Juvenile Justice recognizes that there is a correlation between truancy and delinquency. Statistically, children that have poor school attendance are at a higher risk for future involvement in the juvenile legal system. Prevention and intervention are keys to addressing the underlying causes of truancy.
To refer a student with chronic absences, or even one that you would consider “at risk” for truancy due to previous referrals to State court, please use the basic form attached and provide us with attendance records. Then scan to the new dedicated email address truancy@cherokee.org for referrals. Recognizing variances in individual school policy and recording of absences, we would also like to have a copy of your school’s attendance policy as written in the student handbook. This will assist our advocates and our court to know how to measure your student’s compliance.
All Native students that are members of any federally recognized tribe, ages 5-17, are eligible for our services. These students can be enrolled in traditional in-person classes, distance or virtual learning, or alternative learning. If you have a method to measure their attendance, then they can be referred for truancy when they are absent per your school’s policy.
