Washington County Attorney’s Office—2017 Annual Report 16 Truancy In 2017, the Washington County Truancy Intervention Program continued to support students and families to ameliorate attendance and academic success. The number of petitions filed for the year held steady at 29, even with a marked increase in referrals for the Attendance Intervention Meeting, which is the first stage of county intervention. At the same time, the Program implemented several changes to improve its efficacy, including the inclusion of a Youth Service Bureau staff member at each AIM meeting to serve as a resource to parents and students regarding mental, chemical, and emotional health concerns that can frequently contribute to poor attendance, as well as a significant functionality and content overhaul of the online referral forms to ensure streamlined processing. Ms. Kim Pfuehler, truancy social worker for numerous schools in both Independent School Districts 622 and 833, announced that she would be retiring in early 2018. Her unwavering work ethic, compassion for students and families, and drive for improvement will be greatly missed. The mentorship through music project continues to take shape as Ms. Urbas confers with different schools in the county. On October 25, 2017, the St. Croix Valley Alternative Learning Center again hosted a local Minneapolis band, The Modern Era, as a part of the school’s Unity Day, a day devoted to kindness, acceptance, and inclusion through the use of music, poetry, and mindfulness. 2017 Pledge to Graduate Winners Student at Lake Middle School in Woodbury awarded iPad donated by Sam’s Club Student at North High School awarded an ID necklace donated by Jostens Betsey Urbas