Sheriff Dale R. Gribler and Mr. Jeff Mills of the Van Buren Intermediate School District report that there have been 170 reports received from area schools in the first six months of the current school year regarding truancy and/or behavior problems. 

This represents a 25% increase in the number of reports received in the same time frame during the 2006/2007 school year.  Of those 170 reported incidents, 20 students have been petitioned to Juvenile Court to access further resources, compared to 21 last year at this time.  There have been 8 parents charged in District Court for the truancy issues, compared to 6 in the same time frame last school year.

These preliminary numbers are encouraging, as they show a lower percentage of interventions requiring court resources.  The combined goal of both the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and the Van Buren Intermediate School District is to continue to reduce the percentage of cases going to court while improving both attendance and behavior issues in the local districts.

Sheriff Gribler further reports that continued feedback from school administrators indicate having an officer dedicated to the intermediate school district and available to all school districts in the county has had a positive impact on the overall attendance and gives the schools another tool to use in correcting inappropriate behavior.