In Franklin County, the School Based-Program began in 1994. The School-Based probation officer’s primary work site is in the school that he or she is assigned, and the focus is on the youth that are under the jurisdiction of the Court via the Juvenile Act of Pennsylvania. At this time, in Franklin County, there are probation officers in the Chambersburg Area School District, Waynesboro Area School District, and Tuscarora Area School District on a full-time or part-time basis in the secondary schools.
The goals of the program are to:
- Improve communication between the school district and the probation department
- Improve cooperation among the family, school, probation department and other community agencies involved with the youth and/or family
- Advocate for the educational and related needs of mutual clients
- Provide the school with alternatives for managing students exhibiting behavioral problems
These goals can be accomplished through the duties of the School-Based probation officer. The duties are based on, but not limited, to the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC) Standards. These duties include monitoring and sanctioning: behavior, academic performance and absenteeism. School-Based officers enforce school rules and policies, and communicate with the parents of the youth under supervision. The School-Based probation officers are also able to conduct random urinalyses and searches and seizures of youth under supervision.
In addition, if time is available, School-Based probation officers have been willing to provide further service to the schools via chaperoning extracurricular activities, bus duty, classroom lectures, lunch monitoring, hall monitoring, group facilitation, and community service supervision, etc. Furthermore, the School-Based probation officers are encouraged to participate in the Student Assistance Program (SAP).
School-Based probation officers also supervise and are involved in other programs, once school is out for the summer. These include the remuneration and a community service program. The remuneration program allows youth under the jurisdiction of the Court to pay restitution owed to their crime victims.