Fields represented by membership in this group included: educators, attorneys, juvenile justice professionals, children’s services providers , mental health professionals, law enforcement personnel, and public administration officers.

Group members were asked to identify points in each of the following areas:

1. School attendance (truancy) laws and school policy
2. Local policies regarding access to mental health and alcohol and drug services
3. Interagency protocols and Partnership II Unified Case Management
4. Minor in Possession of Tobacco (MIPT) and Minor in Possession (MIP) city ordinances, school policies
5. School health curriculum
6. Home schooling policies
7. Parental accountability
8. Child neglect laws
9. Uniform Intake Assessment tool and arrest / adjudication guidelines on juvenile delinquents and juvenile accountability
10. Weak bomb threat laws
11. Eligibility limitations due to funding, level restrictions
12. School-to-work programs

1. School attendance laws and school policies:

ORS Chapter 339 provides for issuance of a citation for truancy by a designee of the school district superintendent. By partnering with the school districts in establishing a coordinated method, citations can begin to be issued with regularity, and the state can proceed with cases of truancy.
Consistency in enforcing guidelines and laws will assist schools, and teachers in particular. When youth begin to realize that arrests or citations are not discretionary, but have become consistent for all nature of violations, the attitudes about lenient community laws and norms will reverse. Inclusion of strong prevention programs will assist in facilitating changes.

2. Local policies surrounding access to mental health services:

Improved funding, enhanced strategic planning, and data driven service priorities are all necessary to improve access to mental health services in Baker County. Identification, assessment, and treatment need improvement. Consistent quality treatment requirements for youth A&D treatment, regardless of income or status. Need policies and methods which ensure treatment follow-up and hold youth accountable.

3. Interagency protocols and Partnership II:

The schools need help from agencies. Teams made up of agency professionals (Juvenile Department, Services to Children and Families, non-profit service providers, etc.) could meet with school principals and counselors at least twice a month to provide real solutions on specific cases. This would dispose of the "agency shuffle" and give schools hands-on help with addressing hard issues regarding at-risk youth. They need service options that help them, rather than meetings to simply discuss the problem. Having a team would give school counselors, etc. someone to call for assistance. Implementation, Education and Training needed on Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT), child fatality, rape and Criminal Investigations protocols. School district 5J and Service Integration partners will pilot mini multi-disciplinary teams at elementary schools. These SOS Teams (School-Site One Stops) will do joint intake and unified case management of at-risk children and families.

4. MIPT and MIP city ordinances, school policies:

Baker City Police Department and Baker County Sheriff’s Department have "zero tolerance" policies regarding underage drinkers, although not all officers enforce this 100 percent of the time. A partnership among Law Enforcement, Baker County Juvenile Department, and the School Districts can help establish firm policies, guidelines, interagency referrals, sanctions, etc. Through a strong inter-agency protocol, clear guidelines on how to approach drug and alcohol violations, school policy violations, drug dog searches, etc., can be established, and youth will have a clear understanding of their personal responsibilities, as well as consequences for criminal or status offense violations.

5. School Health Curriculum:

The School Health Curriculum is currently being rewritten, with an implementation date expected for the 2000 - 2001 school year. The effort of Baker School District 5J is to ensure that there is a strong prevention piece included. Model best practices programs are currently being reviewed for study by the committee. It is believed that a good school health curriculum which is risk-focused and skills-based will be key in assisting teachers with tough classroom and operational issues, reductions of the teen pregnancy rate, and the use of drugs and alcohol by students.

6. Home schooling:

There is some local sentiment that laws on home schooling need to be tightened. While many home-schooled children are legitimately receiving a quality education in the home, some are not being educated or supervised, subsequently ending up in the juvenile justice system. One method of regulating home schooling could include advancement through quarterly testing. Failure to show advancement could lead to sanction, or requirement to place children back in standardized school system (public or private).

7. Parental accountability:

In 1998, Baker City Council adopted a parental accountability ordinance. While Oregon Statutes ORS 419C.570 - 419C.575 require parental accountability and have been found to help parents parent, there is a need for more stringent and consistent enforcement of the law across the continuum, from arrest to aftercare.

8. Child neglect:

Violations of ORS 163.505 - 163.577 ultimately lead to more serious offenses against children and by children. The sanctions must be swift and consistent against all parents or caregivers, regardless of income, status, or occupation. All children must be protected from abuse and neglect. Early intervention through proper assessment, investigation, and treatment is invaluable in helping children.

9. Arrest / adjudication guidelines and juvenile accountability:

Arrest and adjudication guidelines must be consistent, in that all juveniles must be aware that any juvenile committing an offense, at home, on the street, or in school, will be arrested or cited and appropriately sanctioned. There is concern that inconsistency in addressing violations of laws and school policy, and in subsequent adjudications, has sent an inappropriate message to youth. Consistency in arrest and sanctioning for alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, curfew and other manner of offenses will send a strong message to youth and the community in general.

With the new Juvenile Corrections Plan, the juvenile department will be better positioned to provide improved services to partners, including school districts and other agencies.

The new Uniform Intake Assessment Tool, used by the Juvenile Department and high-school and middle-school administrators, will offer improved opportunities to better serve at-risk and high-risk youth. Juvenile accountability can be established through positive partnering and mutual support.

10. Bomb threat laws:

Currently, bomb threats are misdemeanor acts, making sanctions for a bomb threat nearly non-existent. With the increase over the last two school years in the number of bomb threats made to the schools, stricter laws need to be passed carrying more serious sanctions. Currently, Baker City Police Chief Jim Tomlinson is working with the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police on helping to propose and pass new legislation, which will carry stronger penalties for bomb threats.

11. Eligibility requirements and limitations:

As a result of strict eligibility requirements or and/or funding limitations, too many at-risk children are "falling through the cracks." Reducing the number of eligibility restrictions for many programs could reduce the number of youth not being identified or served. Proactive early identification and prevention is preferable to reactive intervention or sanctioning. New identification methods (such as the Uniform Intake Assessment) and others could improve services to a broader range of youth. Many children need assistance, but due to their age, income level, or low level of need, they go without help. Implementation and strengthening of First Step into all Baker County Schools will assist in the process, as will enhancing the Safety Net program (see Definitions for program descriptions).

12. School-to-work programs:

Business / school partnerships need to be developed and enhanced. The work programs required for students are still lacking in some areas. It would strengthen this work if more businesses were on board and building leadership.

3. What recommendations should be made to key leaders regarding information management systems to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the continuum (ex. database and e-communications)?

• Giving schools more authority to act when students are exhibiting delinquent behavior at school.
• Developing alternatives to what is available, i.e. smoking cessation classes for those kids who are under age and smoking and being issued citations
• Sharing agreement – all agencies establish and review policies on data collection and dissemination – have a consensus
• Tracking method regarding informal contacts with kids
• Supporting schools and school districts to assist law enforcement and school to take a more active stance against MIP and MIPT – Suggestions: Give school resource officer authority to act, reconsider policy on notification of specific date and time of drug dog searches, etc. Establish "Smoke Free Zone" area around school similar to "Drug Free Zone."
• Implementing an assessment tool for early and accurate identification of at-risk youth. Develop or locate early assessment tool for grades K – 3.
• Identifying at-risk kids that are "falling between the cracks"
• Providing for a monthly meeting of department heads (not just providers or practitioners ) to share information about kids who are not getting services (i.e. Level 7). Develop plan so kids and families can get services without having to be chronic or serious. Utilize knowledge and expertise of teachers at all levels in both development process and information sharing process.

What are the legislative, policy, or systems issues that should be addressed in the following systems? Identify at least two for each system. Be sure these relate to the goal of building a seamless continuum of services and sanctions.

• Attendance enforcement
• Early identification (K-3) of children exhibiting anti-social behavior
• Full implementation of First Step

• Curfew Issue
• Child fatality reviews
• Issue citations – MIPT and MIP and strengthen accountability

• Timely and appropriate access to mental health services
• Fully implement unified case management processes

• Full utilization of intake and assessment tool
• Actual clinician to provide direct services to families

• Appropriate sanctions for MIPT / MIP / A&D
• Education - regular communication with courts of options available

• Strategic planning associated with Partnership II and Service Integration
• All agencies establish / update / share their data information routine

The Objective Decisionmaking group examined the continuum of care, from initial violation through evaluation and determined the following are the key decisionmaking points present along the continuum: