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Success Stories

Case Studies

DATE: January 2009

(All names and identifying information in this case study have been changed to protect the confidentiality of this student. However, the story is an accurate description of the services that Communities In Schools – Bay Area provides to students and families.)

Lane is an 11 year old 6th grade male that was referred to CIS due to anger issues and depression stemming from ongoing family conflict between his mother and step-father that had recently made the decision to divorce. CIS first met with Lane on a day that he was extremely fearful. He explained that he had been instructed by his step-father not to leave with his mother if she tried to get him from school. As it turned out, his step-father had taken Lane and his two half sisters out of the family home and moved them with Lane’s step-grandmother because he felt that Lane’s mother was using drugs.

CIS worked with Lane to calm his fears and re-assure him that the school would not let him leave with anyone (even his mother) if she did not appear to be coherent and able to appropriately care for him.

From this point on, CIS began to regularly meet with Lane to help give him a place where he could express himself and deal with his fears and sadness about his parents divorce.

As CIS developed a close relationship with Lane, he opened up about his history which explained much about his depression, anger, and sadness so obvious in his shut-down demeanor. He disclosed that he had never met his biological father because when he found out that his mother was pregnant, he left them because he was not ready to be a dad. He also reported that since he had returned to the care of his mother, he had not been able to see his two sisters very often and missed them very much.

On one visit, CIS met with Lane during his Language Arts class in the computer lab. He teacher informed CIS that it had been difficult for Lane to participate in any writing assignments and so she finally told him to just write about anything he wanted. Lane chose to title his essay “My Personal Problems” which was his personal struggle with the family divorce. He later told CIS that writing the essay had helped him to vent about his sadness.

The last time CIS met with Lane he freely participated in answering the “Get to Know You Questions” and he had also reported that he was getting to see his sisters each Sunday during a visit he and his mother would have at the step-fathers home. Lane still appeared very sad and shut-down but willing to talk with and participate in discussions with CIS about his feelings.

Later, CIS attempted to meet with Lane to see how he was doing. It was discovered that he had been suspended for fighting and that he had not returned to school even though his suspension had expired. CIS contacted his mother and she reported that due to the divorce, having no car or job, she was having trouble caring for Lane. She explained that options were discussed and that Lane had chosen to move to Louisiana with his Aunt. His mother stated that she was aware of the distress the divorce was causing him and that for now, this was the best decision for him. CIS asked his mother to pass on a word of care to Lane and to wish him the best. She said she speaks to him nightly and would do so. CIS also offered continued help and services to her especially in networking her with job resources. She stated that she would be in-touch and appreciated all that CIS had done.

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DATE: December 2008

(All names and identifying information in this case study have been changed to protect the confidentiality of this student. However, the story is an accurate description of the services that Communities In Schools – Bay Area provides to students and families.)

Jane is a 15 year old female who was referred to Communities In Schools by the school nurse for supportive guidance. She had approached the nurse with complaints of stomach pains and in the course of talking to the nurse revealed to her that she was experiencing family problems.

During the initial visit with CIS, Jane was very shy and did not want to discuss the problems she had mentioned to the nurse. CIS staff allowed her to relax in the office for a while and reassured her that any conversation between her and CIS staff would be confidential (the limits of confidentiality were explained to Jane to ensure informed consent). CIS staff also encouraged Jane to come by the office any time she needed to talk.

Before Jane returned, CIS staff checked her grades and attendance and determined that she had missed too many days and also had a tendency to skip classes. Jane was then called back into the office to discuss her attendance issues. During the interview Jane revealed that she did not get along with her father and would occasionally spend the weekend away from home without letting him know where she was.

CIS staff discussed the situation at home and also talked about the need to let her family know where she was going (for safety reasons, in case something happened to her). Jane was informed that the CIS staff would have to call her father to discuss her attendance issues, but reassured her that any other conversation between them be confidential.

During the conversation with the father, he stated that Jane would often stay away from home over the weekend and that she had also had a history of running away from home. Ways to motivate the student to attend school and work on improving her grades were discussed.

During the week after that last conversation, CIS staff became aware that Jane had been absent again. When called, the father stated that she had once again run away. CIS staff encouraged him to file a report with the police department and asked him to keep them abreast of any new developments.

During the student’s absence, attempts to stay in touch with the father proved unsuccessful. After three weeks, CIS staff was called to the counselor’s office to meet with a student and parent. Jane had returned to school to re-enroll. She was accompanied by her father and a family friend. Jane had run away to be with her mother who sent her back to live with the father. She had been picked up by the police department and returned to her home here.

After Jane had been re-enrolled and escorted to class, CIS staff met with the father and family friend (who is taking care of the student at this time). The father explained that he did not want anything to do with his daughter until she had “straightened out her act.” The family friend explained that Jane would be living with her and that they are considering giving her guardianship. After the father left, Mrs. X explained that Jane had been in bad shape when she was picked up by the police. She asked CIS for referrals to a doctor, dentist, and also a mental health professional. CIS staff gladly provided Mrs. X with the information she needed and also assisted her in filling out paperwork for the school.

Since returning to school, Jane has seen the dentist to have a broken tooth fixed and has had a complete physical by a family doctor/gynecologist. She has also seen a psychiatrist who is referring her to a drug rehabilitation facility. She is attending her classes and doing her work, trying very hard to make up for the time she was absent from school. She is eager to participate in drug rehab to kick her addiction to pills. Jane has been to the CIS office many times, sometimes just to say hello or to get a hug. CIS staff and Jane have talked about her situation and have discussed her plans for the future. Also they talk about her drug use and how to deal with stressful situations in a more positive way while she is waiting for the referral to rehab. Jane and CIS staff will meet for supportive guidance once a week, and she also knows that she is welcome to stop by any time she needs to talk about her issues. CIS staff and Jane are both positive that she will be able to turn her life around and become successful and lead a meaningful life.

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DATE: October 2008

CIS staff received a referral for two siblings who transferred from another school. Needing assistance with school clothes, the single mother expressed appreciation for referrals to Operation School Bell and the school supplies provided by CIS staff. The thirteen and fourteen year old boys came to school for one day. Then they both refused to attend. CIS staff attempted a home visit, and followed up with a phone call to the mother. CIS staff asked the mother to respond. Waiting for a response, information came to light that the students had been grossly truant at their previous school.

Now that their mother is a single parent, the boys were finding it even easier to be truant. The mother had been working with the district Attendance Officer who noted that the students were defiant in a way she’d not seen before. The family received a warning letter and was scheduled to be in court due to the boys’ truancy. CIS staff attended the court hearing in an effort to meet and talk with the family. The Judge told the boy that was present that he would need to attend school every day or go to Juvenile Detention. The boy, crying, agreed to do so. The mother reported that the other boy said he was sick, and so was not present for the court hearing. Another hearing was set for both boys two weeks later.

CIS staff met with the mother and boys at their home afterward. Having left an abusive relationship with her husband, the mother is committed to supporting her two younger boys. Her goal is to provide for them in a home environment free of the physical and verbal abuse which had been allowed by her husband. Self employed and working at a part time job, the mother has not been able to afford to file for divorce. Receiving no child support or assistance from her husband, she is struggling financially. Her husband had allowed the boys to hit their mother and speak disrespectfully to her. The mother shared her struggles to get them to attend school. When the boys went to school one day after enrolling, the mother bought them each a puppy. She reported that sometimes one of the boys would get up to go to school, get dressed and be ready to go. The other brother then declared that he would not go. This led the boy more amenable to attending to go back to bed. The mother said she had tried everything to get the boys to go to school, including pouring water on them in bed when they refused to get up and taking things away from them. After the court visit, the boy who attended told his brother, “all you have to do is cry and you won’t have to go to Juvenile.”

Over the course of several home visits in the next weeks, it was determined that the boys were allowed to stay up late into the night and sleep all day while the mother would work at home. CIS staff noted that the boys still had things they enjoyed,; cell phone, television, video games, etc… and talked with the mother about taking those things away until the boys attended school. The mother said she’d tried this, but that the boys broke the doorknob to her bedroom to get in and take their things back. CIS staff agreed to secure the cell phone and video games at school, locking them in the school’s safe. The boys were told that these items would be returned to them when they attended school as expected. The boys were also cautioned that destroying things would cause their mother to pawn their belongings to pay for damages. The mother said that the boys have hit her when she has pushed an issue enough, and that she’s called for police help more than once. One of the boys routinely would go into the bathroom when CIS staff arrived, and not come out. The other boy reported that he really wanted his phone back, wanted to move back home with his friends in the other county, wanted to be home schooled, and did not have anything specific that he did not like at the current school. He wished his brother would go to school.

Trying to develop support for the mother’s efforts to regain her power as a parent, CIS staff worked with her to impose logical consequences for truancy and to remove reinforcements for truant behavior. CIS staff gave the mother a link to the Texas Attorney General’s website to show the boys what conditions were waiting in Juvenile Detention. The mother was given referrals for Medicaid/CHIPS and Interfaith Caring Ministries. For therapy and parent support, referrals for the Houston Area Women’s Center, DePelchin Children’s Center, Bay Area Turning Point, and UHCL’s family therapy program were provided. The mother completed application for Medicaid. She has not been able to get the boys to go to appointments with her, and so has not pursued therapy at a campus through UHCL. Intensive home based therapy through Triad or DePelchin has been sought, but the mother is only waitlisted at this time. She agreed that a tour of the jail might be helpful, but she could not get the boys to go. The campus’ Sheriff Office liaison is no longer able to assist with home visits and support in this type of case. A scheduled conflict prohibits her participating in the free support group for mothers through Bay Area Turning Point, although the mother would be able to go to support groups at HAWC.

At the next court hearing, the mother and both boys were present. She said she had to bribe them by agreeing to take them out to dinner afterward if they would go to court. The judge spoke to both boys, ordering 15 hours each of community service, ordered them to attend school every day, and again told them that they would have to go to Juvenile Detention if they did not attend school. The mother reported that the boys want to go to Juvenile, and she wants them to have that as a consequence. One boy asked the brother to go to school with him. The brother’s response was, “if you will be my slave this week and do everything I say.” This same brother had been hospitalized briefly after it was discovered he had taken an overdose of over the counter medication. After the hearing, the boys confided that their mother would take them to their old home to spend time with their friends on the weekends, a long drive at great expense, and the reward that may be perpetuating the problem. The removal of the cell phone and video games was having a minimal impact. The truancy has continued.

CIS staff heard from the prosecutor who’d talked with the other county’s staff, the case was one of the most difficult they had seen. CIS staff spoke with the Attendance Officer and the Juvenile Detention facility about the likelihood that the boys would really go to detention. It is likely that the boys might spend only one night in detention. CIS staff talked with the mother about home schooling, and insisting that the boys make up school they’ve missed this year by obtaining home schooling into the summer as part of a logical consequence. The mother is considering this option at this time.

(All names and identifying information in this case study have been changed to protect the confidentiality of this student. However, the story is an accurate description of the services that Communities In Schools - Bay Area provides to students and families.)

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Bobby

Bobby, an eleven year old, moved with his father and younger sister to this area recently. The father had been laid off and used the last of the family funds to move here in hopes of finding a better job. Having found only short-term jobs, the family funds were only able to provide food and rent. Bobby had tried not to ask for anything unless it was absolutely necessary. At school, Bobby and his sister did not have the school supplies they needed. Bobby finally told his father that his peers were teasing him about not having the needed materials.

CIS - Bay Area staff assessed the students' needs for school materials, as well as school clothes. Bobby's father completed forms to receive new school clothes through the Assistance League's School Bell program. CIS staff was able to provide most of the school supplies through donations on hand in the CIS office. Additional needed supplies were obtained by soliciting materials from generous community members and school staff. Staff at a local social service agency assisted with utilities and food.

When Bobby received the school supplies for himself and his sister, he broke out in the biggest smile. CIS staff explained that CIS would be able to help his family, and that he should just let his dad know if there were other things he needed for school.

CIS staff advised Bobby's father that the children could enroll in various programs to provide them with extra-curricular activities at no charge or via scholarships, including CIS - Bay Area's summer program.

Bobby's father thanked CIS staff for helping the family bridge the gap until he could find permanent work and feel settled and self-sufficient.

(Fictitious names have been used to protect the confidentiality of CIS - Bay Area students)

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Thank you note from a student

The following letter was written by a student after he participated in the Communities In Schools Bay Area program

Tales of Learning with Ms. Padlach
Throughout my one so many years at this school, I’ve learned one big thing that sticks out like a sore thumb, and that is you cant slide through high school doing the bare minimum. The one person who really made that clear to me was my good friend, Ms. Padlach, A.K.A. the 9th grade truancy officer.

When I first came to Clear brook, I saw this so called “High School” thing as a chance to shine in one big course of mine, this was the tardy room my friends. As the year went on and I racked on more and more tardies in my effort to suceed in my goal of doing the least amount of work while still passing. I finally got called down to see a so called truancy officer, I laughed because I didn’t know what truancy was. I laugh no more because the very word haunts my dreams.

I had a 2-hour chat with Ms. Padlach on why I try to do so little when in the past I’ve tried so hard. The answer for me was fun. Well my first consequence was that I received 2 weeks of ISS which was any thing but fun. After I got off I realized the principals were always looking at me in the halls. When I would skip now Ms. Padlach would magically pop out of my surroundings, such as lockers, stairs, and my least favorite hidden hallways. Ms. Padlach proved to be a great adversary. As my tardies racked so did my punishments.

Later and later in the school year I saw Ms. Padlach many times and it seemed like she always proved to me that I’ll hate myself later in high school for not going to class. She really taught me a lot in her little office and proved to me class wasn’t so bad. Not to mention she was really funny to talk to, I finally got a court warning because of my unexcused tardies, and this is a reason I started going to class more. Ms. Padlach finally sat me down, after removing me from the tardy room which she did everytime I went to the tardy room, and she proved to me school was not only important but that it would suck being an 18-year old freshman.

I am now a 16-year old freshmore less than a day away from being a sophomore and I owe it to Ms. Padlach. After over 150 tardies and 8 ISS visits I was told at the end of last year I couldn’t receive an unexcused absence till I was 18. I now go to class everyday, never accompanied by Ms. Padlach, and am almost always on time. I am now passing all courses and on my way to be a real sophomore not half a fish anymore. Thank you Ms. Padlach I owe it to you. See ya later fishies.

(Fictitious names have been used to protect the confidentiality of CIS - Bay Area students)

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