01/15/10 – Mayor Newsom today launched the new Truancy Assessment and Referral Center (TARC) to address chronic truancy and close the achievement gap in San Francisco schools. TARC will be a city-wide one stop location allowing police to hand off truant youth to the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and Community Based Organizations. TARC will assess youth and make the appropriate referrals to reengage them in the academic process.“The 21st century economy demands an educated, prepared workforce,” said Mayor Newsom. “We must rise to this challenge and close the graduation gap that afflicts underprivileged communities in San Francisco.”

TARC is a joint effort with the SFUSD, SF Juvenile Probation Department (SFJPD), San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF), and our community partners, Huckleberry Youth Services and Urban Service YMCA, to open a new drop-in facility at 44 Gough St.

“As San Francisco’s District Attorney, I see what happens on the back end of school failures: young lives are being lost to street violence or prison time at an appalling rate,” said District Attorney Kamala Harris. “Children will either get their education in the streets or in school. Combating truancy is a smart approach to crime prevention.”

By addressing truancy, the City hopes to close the graduation gap. In San Francisco last year, 32% of African American, 19% of Caucasian and 19% of Latino students didn’t graduate public high school.

All students coming into 44 Gough will first be referred to the Community Assessment and Referral Center (CARC) located at 44 Gough Street for appropriate assessment before moving on to TARC. Whereas CARC provides a single point of entry for crisis intervention, assessment, service integration and referral of arrested youth, TARC will be focused solely on truant youth.

TARC, staffed by a SFUSD Counselor and a Community Based case manager will do an educational assessment of the youth and determine the best next steps to reengage the youth into the educational process, and refer them out for wrap-around services in the community.

This innovative collaboration between CARC and TARC is the first-in-the-nation that leverages existing city resources to specifically target young people who are chronically absent.