by Caroline Gabsewics
Staff Writer
Harry Shorstein didn’t speak about his accomplishments throughout his five terms as State Attorney at Friday’s Downtown Council meeting. Instead he took the opportunity to address Downtown business owners about his reinvigorated fight against truancy.
“The most important crime we face in society is truancy,” said Shorstein. “It affects both education and crime rates.”
In 1994 Shorstein began the Truancy Arbitration Program (TAP). TAP works directly with the Duval County School Board’s attendance workers who notify the program of those students who are missing too many days of school, he said.
“We use our authority to summon the student and their parents to attend the program,” said Shorstein.
School social workers and State Attorney volunteers conduct the hearings. After each hearing the student and parents must sign a contract in which both agree the student’s attendance record will improve. If it does not improve, Shorstein said they parents can be put in jail. However, the program has been very successful for the most part.
“Since we started this program only 141 parents have been arrested,” he said. “That is only 7 percent of parents that are brought into this program.”
Shorstein also spoke about the importance of mentoring students.
The Downtown Council adopted the A. Philip Randolph Academies of Technology about three years ago. Council members volunteer their time to help students with character training, with a mentorship aspect also, said Cynthia Farmer, Downtown Council’s education committee co-chair.
“Volunteers go in and provide insight on what it is like to be in a professional field as well as showing them how to be an outstanding member of the community,” she said. “This has a profound impact on the ability of students to understand what the future may hold for them.”
The program supports the teachers and provides insight for the students, said Farmer, who is the assistant director of program development at Nova Southeastern University.
Volunteers can come in once a week or once a month to talk to the students about their business experiences.
“Students may not get that insight from their parents,” she said. “This gives them something to look forward to in the future.”
Downtown Council also recognizes A. Philip Randolph’s student of the month as well as donates a book signed by each speaker at Downtown Council to the school’s library.
“Mentoring is a very important thing to be a part of,” said Shorstein.