It really gets Mayor John Street's goat when the media claims he's not doing enough about crime, and then ignores events like the one he had today for his anti-truancy program.
Street inducted 246 parents into the program, which he feels is a key part of his Safer Streets initiative. Safer Streets 2007 has included hiring 200 more police officers; opening 11 more Curfew Centers; creating three “one-stop shops” to help ex-offenders re-enter communities; training 1,000 clergy members in conflict resolution techniques; training 174,000 public school children in conflict resolution techniques; getting additional funding for youth violence reduction programs; and advocating stricter handgun laws.
Let it not be said that Heard in the Hall isn't listening! For more on today's ceremony, read on for the press release:
PA –Mayor John F. Street inducted 246 Parent Truant Officers (PTO) today as part of the City’s ongoing campaign against truancy, during which the Mayor has met personally with more than 2,000 students, their parents and guardians.
“Every child must go to school!” said Mayor Street during the induction ceremony at City Hall today. “If they do not go to school and get an education no good thing can happen in their lives. Our anti-truancy initiative is designed to get children back in school where they belong.”
The School District of Philadelphia created the Parent Truancy Officer Program during the 2003-2004 school year. The Street Administration committed to spending $3 Million to fund the hiring of 400 additional Parent Truant Officers to help reduce truancy, bringing the total complement of PTOs to 500. Today’s induction ceremony was the third this year.
The City’s comprehensive anti-truancy program is a joint undertaking of the Street Administration, the School District, and Family Court to get thousands of Philadelphia public school children off the streets and back in school. School District data shows that 16,837 students were absent without an excuse on any given day during the 2005-06 year, 9.5 percent of the student population of 175,886.
During today’s ceremony, Mayor John F. Street administered an oath to the Parent Truant Officers asking them to “commit to work to serve children and families, ensuring that all students attend school each and every day.” The new PTOs will be paid $9 an hour.
“Truancy and curfew violations are strong indicators for identifying children at risk for delinquency or violence,” Mayor Street said. “Parent Truant Officers are an important part of our increased efforts to ensure our children have a successful life. Parents and guardians are the first line of defense, but everyone in the community must play a role in ensuring children are in school. These additional Parent Truant Officers will make a difference.”
The Administration’s anti-truancy initiative is part of its comprehensive violence prevention strategy, Operation Safer Streets.
New prongs of Operation Safer Streets in 2007 include:
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