News

Crawford County’s Centralized Truancy Court Program Receives Innovation Award

News Article

July 09, 2024

The Pennsylvania Association of Court Management’s (PACM) has recognized Crawford County’s Centralized Truancy Court program with PACM’s Innovation Award for Crawford’s approach to addressing truancy issues within its jurisdiction.

The PACM Innovation Award recognizes a project, program or event that has had a perceivable impact in areas including, but not limited to case processing, case management, court security and access to justice. This recognition underscores the importance of community collaboration and innovative problem solving in addressing complex issues such as truancy.

The Crawford County’s Truancy Court Attendance Program (TCAP) is structured to provide uniform and comprehensive enforcement, together with support to students and their families to address the root causes of truancy and ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed academically. Crawford County Magisterial District Judge Adam Stallard, Esq., handles all truancy citations, with access to an array of services. The creation of TCAP was a collaborative effort among Crawford County’s Court Leadership and Administration, Magisterial District Judges, School District Superintendents, Juvenile Probation Department and Children’s Services.

“I am very thankful for the committed effort of all of our participants, all of whom have made our program a success. On behalf of everyone involved, I express our gratitude in becoming recipients of the Innovation Award,” said Crawford County President Judge John Spataro.

Truancy occurs when a school-age student accrues unexcused absences, regardless of whether they occur separately or happen all at one time. Truancy has been linked to poor academics, serious delinquency, which can lead to a greater chance of incarceration, drug and alcohol use, poorer health outcomes and lower paying jobs. The goal of any truancy case is to deter further attendance issues, address the root cause of the problem and ultimately help the student create a habit of showing up for school.

To learn more about truancy, a detailed one pager is available here and for more information on the work of the state’s judiciary, a detailed civics education toolkit is available here.

###

Media Contact: Olivia Antonucci, 609-238-5182