On April 30, 2003, OJJDP sponsored the live national satellite videoconference Community Responses to Truancy: Engaging Students in School. During the videoconference, participants learned about the causes of truancy and the effects of truancy on youth, their families, schools, and communities.

Truancy is a serious problem that affects many schools and communities. Chronic truancy has been identified as a warning sign of delinquent activity, social isolation, and other factors that limit youth's potential to become productive citizens. Because the root causes of truancy are multifaceted, solutions to the problem need to include community partnerships that involve schools, social services and law enforcement agencies, courts, and community- and faith-based organizations. Showcasing various types of truancy solutions, the videoconference featured promising strategies, provided examples of community efforts to reduce truancy, and highlighted available truancy prevention and intervention resources.

Teleconference panelists were J. Robert Flores, Administrator, OJJDP; the Honorable Joan L. Byer, Jefferson County Family Court, Kentucky; Khaki Dimock, At-Risk Youth Programs Manager, King County Superior Court, Washington; and Dr. Ken Seeley, President of the Colorado Foundation for Families and Children. The broadcast was downloaded to 525 sites in 47 states; a record 2,597 people viewed the live online Webcast. Videotapes are available from JJC for $15, and the teleconference can be viewed at www.trc.eku.edu/jj/archive.html.

OJJDP News @ a Glance	May/June 2003 Volume II Number 3