Move prompts funding cuts, shutdown of truancy center

At first, the Truancy Triage Center's existence was threatened because it couldn't operate as an agent of Durham schools.

A tentative agreement to house the center at Southern High School gave the program some hope, but because of its new location, the center's funding from the Governor's Crime Commission has been cut.

And so the center, at least for now, is no more.

Irene Dwinnell, director of the center, said the community has lost a "smart solution" that worked proactively to prevent truancies that can often serve as a gateway to other delinquent acts by juveniles.

Since starting this summer, the center wanted to operate through the school system, which would make it easier for students to be referred to and dropped off. But school officials had liability concerns, especially when the school day ended.

In late September, Dwinnell and school officials came to a tentative agreement, which included operating the center out of a school. But having it at Southern, located at the eastern edge of the city, went against one of the main stipulations of the grant -- that its location would be centralized so families could have easy access. And there were more liability issues, such as if a non-Southern student brought to the center decided to leave unattended.

The commission's $188,000 provided the bulk of the $248,000 Dwinnell had to operate the center. Dwinnell said the 37 families the center has helped so far have been referred to other community organizations.

"There's nothing more that I can do to support them at this point," she said. "Now they have to navigate the system by themselves. And the reality is that they may not make the connection to where they need to be."