Clark County schools to have on-site probation officers

At a news conference Thursday in the Clark County Government Building, it was announced that starting next week, six officers from Clark County's juvenile probation program will start operations out of middle and high schools in Clarksville Community Schools, Greater Clark County Schools and West Clark Community Schools.

Being on-site will allow the officers to work more closely with the student and the school resource officer on solutions, Clark County Circuit Court No. 4 Judge Vicki Carmichael said at the announcement.

“What we have found in our research is that having probation officers in the school is very effective at reducing absenteeism and moderating behavior,” she said. “What we're hoping is that our school resource officers and probation officers can work hand-in-hand with these children on a daily basis and know when there's a problem.

“And if there's an issue that needs to be addressed, we can address is right away.”

Clark County Assistant Chief Probation Officer Henry Ford III oversees juvenile probation in the county and will serve as the liaison between the schools, the courts and government in the program.

He said that right now, there are about 85 kids on active probation in the county, but the number of students the department helps could be triple that, taking into account the students not on probation they work with.

“What this does is give us an opportunity to be proactive,” he said. "What juvenile probation is not about is punishment. It's about how we can help the kids to succeed...[and] to address some of these behavioral issues before they get out of control.”

The six officers are not new hires; the initiative is more of a redirecting of resources. Clark County Council Vice President Brian Lenfert said that the move will also benefit the county by saving money. Prior to the partnership they had been looking at renting offices outside of the Clark County Government building to house 10 juvenile probation officers.

“This saves the county money [and] it gives a more effective way to meet with clients,” he said.

Clarksville Community Schools Superintendent Tina Bennett, Greater Clark County Schools Superintendent Andrew Melin and Chad Schenck, West Clark Community Schools superintendent, attended the announcement. Each spoke on how they see the programs as a benefit to the students.

Melin has already had some experience with such a program; he was previously the principal of a high school near Fort Wayne with a probation officer.

“What I saw as a positive [there] was really helping to improve student attendance,” Melin said. “Some of those individuals who are on probation [may] struggle a little bit with making sure they're getting to school.”

Bennett said she believes the program will help foster communication between the schools and the government agencies, and provide a better safety net for students.

“We believe that with the additional resources in the buildings, we can combat some of the risk of behaviors that we have,” she said. “So that our students will not fall between the cracks, so they can continue to grow academically and civically.”

Schenk noted that the actions being taken would “truly pave the way for more caring at the school level to take place,” he said.

“School has changed dramatically over the last couple decades. And we are now — as school officials, staff and teachers — doing more than ever for the overall holistic approach to the social and emotional [well-being] of children.”