A San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury investigation into the
education of incarcerated juveniles shows some areas of potential weakness
including the need for more online instruction.
The grand jury concluded that more emphasis needs to be
placed on the mental health of juveniles and that the work they do complete
while detained is counted toward graduation.
The report, “Is the San Mateo County Office of Education
adequately educating its incarcerated youth?” was released Wednesday and
recommends that more collaboration is needed between the Office of Education,
the Probation Department and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services to develop
a more comprehensive transition plan to ensure contact is made with a student’s
family and school before the student is released from detention.
Another recommendation is the Office of Education should
create a system to ensure that all academic credits earned while a juvenile is
in detention are accurately transferred to that student’s correct course and
school upon release.
The report also encourages that Probation and Behavioral
Health officials work together to decide whether there should be a full-time
position at Camp Glenwood to ensure that boys with mental health issues are
receiving the complete and effective care they require and that families could
more frequently be involved in the child’s progress.
Computers, including online instruction, should be used more
extensively to educate the incarcerated youth, according to the report.
Education is during three year-round programs at the Youth
Services Center in San Mateo, Margaret J. Kemp Girls Camp in San Mateo and Camp
Glenwood Boys Ranch in La Honda.
“Providing an education to incarcerated juveniles is
challenging because the youths typically are incarcerated for different lengths
of time, have different English language skills, may not be at grade level in
any given course, may have anger or gang issues, and may have special physical,
mental health and educational needs,” according to the report.
The grand jury concluded that overall the county Office of
Education “has a well-managed Juvenile Court Schools Program operated by
experienced and sincere teachers and administrators,” according to the report.
The grand jury decided to investigate following a suggestion
the county Office of Education was not providing all required educational
support to incarcerated juveniles, especially those with physical and mental
health challenges who are housed at Camp Glenwood.
“The day of a juvenile in detention looks very much like
that of an average American teenager, i.e., school dominates,” according to the
report.
School is the focus of their lives. On a typical day,
students wake up at 7 a.m., have breakfast at 8 a.m. and then are in classrooms
from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. with a one-hour break for lunch, according to the
report.
They then participate in physical recreation from 3 p.m.
until dinner followed by private time in their rooms, evening recreation and
any special programming; they are in their rooms for the night starting at 8
p.m., according to the report.
Go to
sanmateocourt.org/grandjury to read the full report.
July 9, 2015
San
Mateo Daily Journal
By Journal
staff
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