Published: October 22, 2007 11:33 am            

All agencies should get on board with this agreement

During the past few weeks, area school boards and the Clinton City Council have heard reports about a Safe Schools and Community Interagency Agreement, a special interagency agreement that would promote the safety and wellness of area students.

This cooperative agreement is designed to allow agencies and school districts to share information pertinent to a student’s well-being to get help to that student and prevent problems down the road — in essence an agreement that would protect all students in the end.

The agreement would incorporate provisions for the legal sharing of information, establish a database for information collection, identify juveniles at risk and provide intervention strategies, examine opportunities to expand access to family resources, encourage community involvement and promote coordinated efforts between agencies to help students become productive adults.

A total of 15 entities are set to join the agreement including the Camanche, Central Clinton, Northeast and Clinton school districts; the Clinton, DeWitt and Camanche police departments; City of Clinton, Clinton County Community Supports Department, Clinton County Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office, Iowa Department of Human Services, Iowa District Court for Clinton County, Juvenile Court Services and Prince of Peace Schools.

The agreement states that information to be shared includes juvenile arrest charges, juvenile court services dispositions, intake decisions on complaints and information on student achievement, behavior and attendance history on juvenile offenders and juveniles at risk. The agreement further states that confidential information shared between the entities will remain confidential and may be used solely for determining the programs and services appropriate to the needs of the student or the student's family, is not admissible in court proceedings and may not be used as the basis for disciplinary action of the student.

We have heard some concerns about the possible violation of privacy and have heard the response that no one’s privacy would be violated because those who share information know how to do it within the parameters of the law.

Knowing this, we wholeheartedly agree with the need and necessity of such an agreement, because it may be the only way school officials would know of a problem that could affect a student. After all, what happens at home does not stay at home. Those issues are carried with the student all day — not left at the school’s doorstep upon entering for class.

These days, the media is flooded with stories about a student somewhere in the nation who went to school with a burden, whether it be a grudge against a student or teacher or problems with life in general and then acted out in a manner that hurt others.

If there is a warning sign previous to problems on campus, this agreement is one more tool that can be used to detect it.

Sharing information is paramount to educating others about what is going on, and what could happen as the result.

        

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