CITY OF HARLINGEN
Mayor H. William Card, Jr.

Youth Services/Dropout Prevention/Parental Involvement Partnership

In efforts to provide quality services to young members of the community, partnerships involving many city agencies have been established. Through the recognition of agencies' strengths and weaknesses, the city's Youth Services Department solidifies linkages to offer a comprehensive and productive approach to youth issues. The School District's Parental Involvement and Drop Out Prevention Division works closely with Youth Services to provide quality service to students who have been expelled or who have dropped out. The partnership works as follows:

1. Schools -- Attendance Officers prior to expulsion work with students to increase school appreciation and attendance.
   

2. City -- Adjudicated juvenile offenders in Municipal Court are man-dated to perform community service with the approval of theYouth Services Department.

3. Schools -- After a hearing, if improvement is not noticed, the student is expelled. There are two types of expelled students: Special Education Expulsions and Non Special Education Expulsions.
   

4. City -- The Youth Services Department confirms the juvenile's school enrollment status to uphold the Municipal Court's orders for community service. If youths are not enrolled in school, community service is dropped and fines are imposed.

5. Schools -- Special Education Expulsions receive state mandated continuous educational services. The district has no further contact with Non Special Education Expulsions and refers those students to the Youth Services Department.
   
6. City -- The Youth Services Department, in turn, contacts parents to provide service and assistance to their son/daughter. Non Special Education Expulsions are enrolled in the Second Chance Program with parental consent.

Second Chance Program -- The preponderance of community service youths have been suspended, expelled or have dropped out. For them to getYouth Services Department approval they must complete Second Chance Program requirements.

The Second Chance Program is a versatile, eight-step, self-discovery program. It's success relies upon its flexibility and universality. Upon completion, youths gain a sense of usefulness and achievement. Components of the Second Chance Program, approved by the District's Drop Out Prevention Division, are: 1) Goals, 2) Communication I, 3) Etiquette I, 4) Characteristics, 5) Reputation, 6) Community Service, 7) Communication II, 8) Etiquette II.

The Second Chance Program builds or strengthens positive character development in individuals for proper comportment in the community and back in school. The program links the development of strong, positive character to an individual's potential in the District's programs of intellectual development.

Contact: Office of the Mayor, (210) 427-8700

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