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Maintaining
safe schools requires the involvement of
many agencies outside of the educational
community, particularly law enforcement,
social service, juvenile justice agencies
and the court system. Partnerships across
these agencies improve school safety and
serve the needs of youth at risk. For
example, law enforcement agencies assist
schools in development of safety and
emergency plans, provide classroom
instructions with programs such as DARE and
crime prevention, investigate crimes in
schools, and often assign officers to
schools through an Adopt a School or School
Resource Officer program.
The caseloads
of state agencies include youth in the
public schools, requiring these agencies to
work closely with schools when youth return
from out-of-home placements. It is important
for other agencies involved with an at-risk
student to know how the youth is performing
in school so that they can properly assess
progress and assist in providing
interventions that help the student become
successful. The judicial system receives all
school-based complaints, such as truancy,
and decides whether diversion is appropriate
or whether the case should be formally
processed through the courts. Many courts in
the state are now holding truancy court in
the schools
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