Student Support & Attendance

Behavioral Health Initiatives

The OSSA supports students and families by using a student-centered and school-connected approach focusing on students experiencing severe mental and/or behavioral health issues that have gone unresolved despite significant school-based interventions, or students experiencing homelessness/housing instability that is interfering with the student’s attendance at school. Through our Youth Opportunity Center (YOC) Program, we provide two levels of case management services: quick connect and intensive case management services, working to bridge the gap between schools, families, and community agencies. We prevent students from falling through the cracks and work to improve academic outcomes by partnering with schools to identify the root cause of the student’s behavioral health challenges, offering consultation on challenging cases, and providing training to increase the capacity of school staff and leaders.

Juvenile Justice Initiatives

The OSSA provides advocacy and support for students involved in the juvenile and criminal justice system, including working closely with the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Settings, which provides educational services by contract to students in the Youth Study Center and Orleans Justice Complex.

• Juvenile Court Services: The OSSA provides liaison services between NOLA Public Schools and Orleans Parish Juvenile Court (OPJC) for court-involved students; conducts school placements and verifications; provides judicial consultations and assists judges in understanding school policies and procedures; facilitates school re-entry meetings; and monitors all school-based arrests.
• Policing Alternatives for Youth (PAY) Program: The OSSA coordinates interventions, case management services for all youth eligible for PAY offenses. We partner with the City of New Orleans Office of Youth and Family Services, New Orleans Police Department, and Covenant House to keep youth out of the juvenile justice system while providing support and wraparound services.
• Travis Hill Schools: The OSSA works closely with the Center for Educational Excellence in Alternative Schools (CEEAS), which provides educational services for students at the Youth Study Center and Orleans Justice Complex.

School Attendance Initiatives

Parents may reach out to the OSSA for support in addressing school attendance issues with their student. Our office oversees the following programs that support families and schools in addressing school attendance:

• Truancy Center: The Truancy Center is a safe haven for students found out of school during school hours. The Truancy Center is not a punitive consequence but an intervention to support families and schools. The OSSA will notify parents and schools if and when a student is dropped off at the Truancy Center and works with the family and school to reconnect the student to school.
• Municipal Court: The OSSA manages all truancy and school-related cases appearing in Orleans Parish Municipal Court. Parents will receive support from a Social Worker on our team and can expect ongoing communication and coordination from our office on these cases. If ordered by the judge, our office may provide intensive case management services to students and families served in Municipal Court.
• Catching All Kids: The OSSA implements prevention and intervention strategies to identify, support, and reconnect students who are not enrolled in school, did not complete registration within 5 days of receiving a school placement, and/or who have discontinued attending school.

Student Discipline

The Office of Student Discipline and Behavior Support is a team within the Office of Student Support and Attendance at the Orleans Parish School Board. The Office of Student Discipline and Behavior Support is a city-wide unified student discipline system comprehensively serving over 40,000 New Orleans students.

Some functions of The Office of Student Discipline and Behavior Support include:

• Conducts all student disciplinary conferences and expulsion hearings;
• Screens and places students who seek to enroll in an Orleans Parish public school as a result of an expulsion from a school located in another parish or from a private school;
• Provides conflict resolution meetings, training opportunities, resources and, other support to students, parents/guardians, schools, and community partners;
• In collaboration with the Youth Opportunity Center (YOC), coordinates the enrollment screening and placement of students returning to education post-incarceration in out of parish facilities and the Orleans Parish Justice Center (formerly Orleans Parish Prison).

The Office of Student Discipline and Behavior Support policies align with those of the Offices of Student Enrollment and Student Support and Attendance to ensure continuity between discipline, enrollment, and student-based services. The Office of Student Enrollment Services manages the hardship transfer process.