The Chickasaw Nation's PA 9 Application

The Chickasaw Nation (CN) will support a newly established truancy diversion program. Since the McGirt/Bosse rulings, the Office of Tribal Justice Administration has received an increasing number of referrals from local school districts to prosecute for violations of mandatory school attendance. There are currently no programs or staff in place to effectively handle these incoming referrals or provide assistance, both educational and other, to First American parents and their children who are alleged to be truant. A tribal resolution has been obtained to establish a "Chickasaw Nation Truancy Court" that will offer services to First American youth and their parents within the recently established Chickasaw Nation Healing to Wellness Court. If the program is successfully completed, their truancy case would be dismissed. The proposed truancy diversion program will be a collaboration between the Office of Tribal Justice Administration and the department of education. The truancy diversion program will be offered as a preventative service to First American youth and their families in order to decrease the risk factors for juvenile delinquency. The funding will be used to hire one full-time truancy court officer who will serve as the primary point of contact for both the local school districts and the CN District Court. The officer will be responsible for assessing incoming referrals, providing reports to the court on progress being made, maintaining the schedules for court dockets and compiling data for the program.