Teen Behavior Issues  

 Running Away from Home

Reporting A Runaway 

To report a child who is considered to be a "runaway" call 911  

                  OR   

Call your local city police (Loganville, Monroe, Social Circle) or the Walton County Sheriff's Office 

Youth Shelter 

The Alcove Inc.  

507 East Church Street 

Monroe, GA 30655 

Phone: 770-267-9156  

The Alcove is an emergency youth shelter located in Monroe.  

Services Include: Residential - Parental Placements last up to 15 days and are arranged by the parents for respite care or family crisis stabilization. While at the Alcove the youth receives an assessment and individual, group, and family counseling. Runaway any youth who are experiencing conflicts at home or who do not feel safe to stay at their home can come to The Alcove and stay (parents or guardians are notified within 24 hours of their arrival). State Custody Placement Department of Families and Children's Services and the Department of Juvenile Justice can place a youth in The Alcove for up to 30 days.  

$ Free 

Truancy 

Georgia State Law 

Per O.C.G.A. 20-2-690.1 and 15-11-2 (12)(A), the Georgia compulsory school attendance law mandates that a child must be enrolled in and attend school upon their sixth birthday up until their sixteenth birthday at which time they have the option to quit school. A student is considered truant from school if they are habitually absent without legal justification. 

Walton County Board of Education Policy 

A student shall not be absent from school or from any class or other required school hours except for illness or other providential cause, unless with written permission of the teacher, principal, or their duly authorized school official. No student or employee shall encourage, urge or counsel other students to violate this policy. As permitted under state law and State Board of Education policies, pupils may be excused for the following reasons: 

      a.  personal illness and when attendance in school would endanger their health or the 

          health of others;  

      b.  serious illness or death in their immediate family which necessitates absence from school;  

      c.  mandated order of governmental agencies, including pre-induction physical examinations  

           for service in the armed forces, or by court order;  

      d.  celebration of religious holidays;  

      e.  conditions which render attendance impossible or hazardous to their health or safety;  

      f.  voter registration or voting, for a period not to exceed one day; and  

      g.  prior permission of principal and consent of parent or legal guardian.(It is the 

           responsibility of the student to secure and make up all work for this type of absence, not 

           the teacher).  

For perfect attendance purposes, students serving as pages of the Georgia General Assembly shall be counted present on the days missed for this purpose. In addition, students who are present for at least one-half of the instructional day shall be counted present. 

Excuses for absences shall be furnished in writing within three school days of return to school , shall be signed by the student's parent or guardian and shall specifically state the reasons for the absence. The school system will receive any excuses after that period, but will not change the absences to excused. All excuses will be evaluated by the principal or a designee to determine if the absence is excused or unexcused. The principal has the authority to require additional proof of the legitimacy of the excuse. For example, the principal may require a doctor's statement justifying the absence of the student, and may require proof that the child's condition rendered the child incapable of attending school. Students shall be permitted to make up work when absences are excused. Absences due to out of school suspension shall be unexcused. Students may make up final exams missed due to unexcused absences with prior permission of the school principal, but other types of work missed due to unexcused absences may not be made up. Make up work for a one day's absence must be turned in within two days of returning to school. Make-up work for longer absences must be completed within five (5) school days of the student's return to school, unless the school principal or his or her designee allows the student additional time to complete such make-up work.  

A student in grades 9 - 12 who has ten (10) unexcused absences in any class shall not receive credit for that class. The board determines that an essential instructional objective for each class is that students learn the importance of regular and timely attendance at school. The board believes that students must acquire the skill of regular attendance so that students are prepared for post-secondary education or the workplace after school.  

A student who has excessive tardies to school and/or to class shall receive disciplinary action according to the Student Code of Conduct. The principal has the authority to require additional proof of the legitimacy of excessive requests for early checkouts. Students with excessive tardies and/or early checkouts may be referred to the school social worker for educational neglect. 

Walton County Juvenile Court 

Walton County Government Building  

303 South Hammond Drive, Suite 223 

Monroe, GA 30655  

Phone: 770-267-1797  Fax: 770-267-8313  

Truancy Coordinator: Officer Mike Baldwin  

Services: Investigate reported incidents of truancy. The Truancy Coordinator accepts referrals from schools, parents, and citizens. The Truancy Coordinator works under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. 

Juvenile Crime 

Helpful Definitions    

• Delinquent Offense - an act designated a crime by the laws of this state, or by local ordinance.   

• Delinquent Child- a child under the age of 17 years who has committed a delinquent act and is in need of treatment or rehabilitation   

• Status Offender - a child who is charged with or adjudicated (found guilty) of an offense that would not be a crime if an adult had committed it. Examples are truancy, violation of curfew, running away from home, incorrigibility (chronic misbehavior that cannot be corrected), and unruly behavior.   

• Unruly Child - is a child who;   

a) Is habitually and without justification truant from school  

b) Is Habitually disobedient of the reasonable and lawful commands of his or her parents  

    or guardian  

c) Leaves home without consent of his or her parent or guardian  

d) Disobeys curfew  

e) Patronizes any bar where alcoholic beverages are being sold unaccompanied by 

    parents or guardian or possesses alcoholic beverages  

f) Commits an offense applicable only to a child  

Reporting Juvenile Crime 

• Call "911" and request to meet with a law enforcement officer at your home   

OR   

• Go to the Law enforcement agency headquarters that serves your residence   

Loganville Police Department  

West Walton Government Center  

605 Tom Brewer Road 

Loganville, GA 30052  

Emergency: 770-466-6679   Non-Emergency: 770-466-8087 

Monroe Police Department  

116 South Broad Street 

Monroe, GA 30655 

Phone: 770-267-7576 

Website: http://www.monroega.com:8080/webx?13@@.efb70db  

Social Circle Department of Public Safety  

138 East Hightower Trail 

Social Circle 30025  

Phone: 770-464-2380 

Walton County Sheriff's Office  

1425 South Madison Avenue 

Monroe, GA 30655  

Phone: 770-267-6577 

Website: www.waltonsheriff.org  

  Reporting Unruly Behavior

• Call "911" and request to meet with a law enforcement officer at your home 

OR   

• Go to the Law enforcement agency headquarters that serves your residence   

Loganville Police Department  

West Walton Government Center  

605 Tom Brewer Road 

Loganville, GA 30052  

Emergency: 770-466-6679   Non-Emergency: 770-466-8087 

Monroe Police Department  

116 South Broad Street 

Monroe, GA 30655 

Phone: 770-267-7576 

Website: http://www.monroega.com:8080/webx?13@@.efb70db  

Social Circle Department of Public Safety  

138 East Hightower Trail 

Social Circle 30025  

Phone: 770-464-2380 

Walton County Sheriff's Office  

1425 South Madison Avenue 

Monroe, GA 30655  

Phone: 770-267-6577 

Website: www.waltonsheriff.org  

Walton County Juvenile Court 

303 South Hammond Drive 

Suite 223 

Monroe, GA 30655 

Phone: 770-267-1346