STAR is a 3 phase program

I.    Anti-Truancy

II.   College and Job readiniess

III.  Job Placement

I.  STAR Anti-Truancy Program

Texas SB 1489 (Whitmire)- Eliminates tickets written for truancy for students age 10-11 and age 18-21, and requires schools to adopt truancy prevention measures to reduce referrals to court for truancy through citations or conduct in need of supervision. 2 Components of Star Anti-Truancy are:

1. Anti-Truancy Program (ATP) at desginated schools.  ATP groups will be provided free of charge at participating schools on first come first serve basis.  STAR Program can only conduct 2 simultaneous groups at a time to meet parameters of grant.  To implement ATP at your school you would need to meet with STAR program coordinator prior to next school year. Starprogram@pasadenacrc.org

2. Implement Anti-Truancy Workshops  Workshops will reflect a schools demonstrative effort to address truancy at each campus prior to mandatory filing.  Anti-Truancy Workshop compels students to attend with their parent prior to going to court.  Through our workshop we will be able to satisfy component that will put measures in place to reduce truancy for the District and improve the education of our students by keeping them in school and off the streets. This component will address problem with parent and student prior to going to court and parent is required to pay a nominal fee of $30 in lieu of having the district file on them and possibly face $500 fine for each day student was absent.  Parent will learn about the law, additional fines and will be exposed to  the "Building Foundations" curriculum to improve inter-personal relationships with parent and child which is often at the heart of truancy.

II.  College and Job Readiness:

STAR is a gear up to college program for prospective students. Current high school students will be exposed to college life by traveling to A & M Kingsville.  The field trips will engage students in an interactive college experience.  STAR will also incorporate an array of certifications programs offered at San Jacinto jr. College Continuing Ed. Program http://www.sanjac.edu/ to help at-risk youth increase their employability potential to work with area industry.

For more details on STAR Project click on link: 

http://www.texasgearup.com/star-project/partnerships/

III. Job Placement:

STAR will employ youth to work at Host site locations throughout Pasadena through a Collaborative Grant through the Department of Labor and Juvenile Justice Grant.  Youth must be at least 18 old and have been involved with the juvenile justice system within the last 12 months.  Job will pay youth that qualify $7.25 an hour for 15 hours a week.  Job  Placement is for 6 month period at the end youth will have opportunity to remain on as regular employee and have gained valuable experience that makes them more empolyable in the future. 

For Summer Jobs click on link:

http://www.dol.gov/summerjobs/Youth.htm