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Students take warning: There's a slew of initiatives schools and police are using against young people who cause problems in the classroom or on the street.
A combination of cooperative local efforts and state legislation has led one official to suggest authorities might soon get the upper hand on juvenile offenders.
As students begin heading back to school this week, here's a taste of what they may face:
• Principals can require students 16 and older to attend night classes.
• Courts can order the suspension or denial of a driver's license or learner's permit for those caught vandalizing (graffiti included) public buildings.
• School principals have the option of assigning up to 120 hours of community service as a form of discipline. Students who physically assault school employees now may be referred to juvenile court.
• A list of repeat juvenile offenders will soon be created locally and will be shared with agencies that might come in contact with the youth. Schools will be informed soon after students have another run-in with the law.
• And if that doesn't work, the county recently purchased 20 electronic surveillance bracelets for juveniles who violate terms of their probation.
Proponents say the monitoring equipment is a low-cost way of controlling troubled youth. Offenders will be monitored by the county probation department and the work release office.
Costs are only incurred when the devices are being used and offenders will be expected to cover the cost.
Most of the bracelets are intended for juveniles.
The electronic monitoring devices arrived Aug. 9. Within three days, five people were placed on the program. All three juveniles immediately sought jobs as a way to get out of the house and make money to pay for the program, Allebach said.
Use of the monitoring equipment came from the committee Kids in Crisis, which has been meeting for nearly five years and includes representation from police, courts, schools, the welfare department and other agencies who interact with juveniles.
The committee has also established the new tracking system for repeat juvenile offenders.
The federal program is aimed at developing a data base that will help authorities react and work with young offenders.
"We've got to 'red flag' them so we know who they are and then we can go after them and turn them around or get them out of here," said Warsaw Police Chief Craig Allebach.
"Ideally, we'd like to see what makes the kid tick and then address the problem," he said.
The program is evidence that progress is being made, said Warsaw Schools Superintendent Lee Harman.
The program can help identify specific counseling needs and help courts better prepare juvenile cases.
Warsaw police are beginning to use new field reports specifically designed to track juveniles.
Authorities widely admit there are few tools to control juveniles other than sending them to out-of-county juvenile facilities.
"We're starting to make some progress at least toward making them feel some consequence," Allebach said.
The new laws help address the biggest issues confronting public education.
"Discipline in the schools is the No. 1 priority, and I think the legislature is finally beginning to hear that," said Rep. Dave Wolkins, of Winona Lake.
State law allowing schools to use community service has helped eliminate concerns about liability that loomed in the past, Harman said.
He said he expects local schools to use the new option.
"This could be something (that's) very healthy. We don't really know until we get into it a little more," Harman said.
Some of the changes have been adopted into student handbooks, he said.
