Child Search

Louisiana

Office of Youth DevelopmentSimon G. Gonsoulin

Acting Assistant Secretary

EDUCATION SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

Agreement Signed November, 1999 Implementation Plan Completed April, 2000 Quality Assurance Started September, 2000 All Staffing Requirements Met Summer, 2001 Completion of All Construction April, 2002 Final DOJ/Plaintiff Visit Summer and Fall, 2002 State Petitioned for Dismissal December, 2002 Dismissal from Education Settlement January, 2003

Educational Profile of Students Entering Louisiana’s Juvenile Justice Secure Care Facilities

44% of our students are 17 years of age or older

28% of our students enter reading below a third grade level

39% of our students enter below a basic literacy level

68% of our students enter reading and calculating math at or below the secondary grade level

87% of our students enter our schools having been suspended or expelled during their last year in public school

POPULATION/SPECIAL EDUCATION BREAKDOWN

Facility Percent of School

Population Prior to Child Search Effort

(April 2000)

Average Population (May 2004)

Average Special

Education Enrollment (May 2004)

Percent School

Population

Special Education (May 2004)

BCCY 32% 76 32 42%

JCCY 21% 242 94 39%

SCCY 27% 193 109 56%

TOTAL SYSTEM

26% 511 235 46%

POPULATION BY DISABILITY

Disability Category

Number of Students

Percent of Secure

Population

Learning Disabled 110 21%

Emotional/Behavior Disorders

89 17%

Mentally Disabled 19 4%

Other Health Impaired 14 3%

Education Quality Assurance Compliance Percentage

94 98

75

9298

70

95 100

78

98 99

65

0

20

40

60

80

100

Riverside Scenic Southside Westside

Most Recent Monitoring Percentage New Quality Assurance Plan - Spring 2004

Monitoring Percentage - Spring 2002

Initial Monitoring Percentage - Fall 2000

Child Search

Child Search is a process of identifying and tracking students that have “fallen through the cracks” of the educational, medical, and/or mental health systems prior to placement in secure care and during the youth’s confinement to OYD.

Child Search

The goal of Child Search is to achieve a seamless delivery model across all departments that ensures that each student’s unique and special needs are fully met in a timely manner.

How did Child Search develop?

Child Search resulted from the monitoring process included in the Quality Assurance Program.

The monitoring process revealed several students with “special needs” that were not being fully addressed by the different disciplines that offer services to Louisiana’s secure care population.

These needs were either educational, behavioral, and/or medical/mental health related.

Why did Child Search develop?

Early

iden

tifica

tion

We needed to develop a better method of Referral

problem solving for youth

Child Search Procedure

The Child Search coordinators attend weekly intake staff meetings which include representatives from regular education, special education, social services, medical, mental health, security, and religious services.

The representative from each department reports the information available for each student.

Child Search Procedure

The Child Search coordinator reviews the transfer data that are pertinent to education on every student as they enter the facility. This may include: Achievement test scores, previous grade placement, age, level of cognitive functioning, medical or mental health histories, educational placement and history.

Child Search Procedure

The intake meeting has proven to be the most critical component of the Child Search process because a wealth of information is obtained on every student. Many referrals are made at this point of entry.

Student Tracking

Information obtained from the intake meeting is entered into a database which tracks every student that has a history or current diagnosis of ADHD or depression, students currently taking medication for either of these disorders, and the special education disability (if any) for these students.

Child Search Tracking

Youth’s

Name

SMI Sp Ed Excep

Current DX of ADHD

Current Meds.

For ADHD

Current

DX of Depression

Current Meds for

Depression

Previous HX of ADHD

Previous HX of

Depression

Moore Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes

Narcisse No No No No No No No Yes

Nixon No No No No No No Yes Yes

Peltier No No Yes No No No Yes No

Robertson Yes No No No No No Yes Yes

Taylor No No Yes Yes No No Yes No

Thomas No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Student Tracking

Students that are given intellectual screening tests at the diagnostic unit and score in the mildly impaired range are tracked using a separate list.

If these students are not already identified as special education students, they will be immediately referred to the SBLC to rule out cognitive concerns.

Medication List Review

The Child Search coordinators regularly review the list of students that are prescribed psychotropic medications and those that are identified as Seriously Mentally ILL (SMI). The database is updated accordingly.

Disciplinary Ticket Review

Copies of disciplinary tickets for every student are provided to the Child Search coordinators to review. A determination is made of the number of tickets issued in the school setting.

If a particular student receives numerous tickets for two or more months, and that student is not receiving counseling services from special education or mental health services, then that student will be referred.

Referral Process

CHILD SEARCH

School Building Level Committee

Mental Health Services

Medical/Infirmary Administration

SCHOOL BUILDING LEVEL COMMITTEE

Child Search

The Child Search process has undergone several modifications and adaptations since its original conception to accommodate the significant growth and change that has occurred within our system.

Current Child Search Tracking Form

Student

DO

B

Entry D

ates

SP

ED

/Counseling

ME

D

MR

PS

Y R

X

AD

HA

SM

I

DIS

CIP

08-18-03 to 03-04-04

2+F

’s

RE

F/S

BL

1 10/06/07 05/03 Asthma X X 7(3) 6(1) 2(0) X

2 10/20/86 01/02 SLD** 3 6 9

3 02/25/88 09/03 In Process 3(3) 5(4) 6(1) X X 01/04

4 08/23/86 01/04 ED/SLD Diabetic 25(12) X 04/04IEP

5 03/20/88 11/03 Head Trauma

HX HX 11(7) 11(8) X X

6 07/23/87 01/01 X 12(1) 16(2) 14(1)

7 09/10/86 05/02 MiMD* HX HX 11(5) 7(4) 5(4) X X 03/04

Summary

Review intake data on every student

Attend weekly intake staff meeting

Make any referrals resulting from intake

Update tracking lists

Review on an ongoing basis: medication and SMI lists, special education roster, students with cognitive concerns, disciplinary tickets, more restrictive housing and grades.

Make referrals as needed