Valley View ISD board approves MOU with Denton County Juvenile JJAEP

The Valley View ISD Board of Trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Denton County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program at its Aug. 18 meeting. "Motion by Ritchey to approve the MOU with Denton Co. JJAEP as approved by the Denton County Juvenile Board; second by Hoffman. The vote was 5 in favor, 0 opposed," the minutes show.

The MOU (attached to the meeting record) identifies participating ISDs and sets operational rules: the Denton County Juvenile Probation Department administers the JJAEP, student placement follows procedures in Texas Education Code §37.007 and §37.010, and the program will follow standards of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The MOU explains distinctions between mandatory and discretionary expulsions, minimum and maximum placement periods, special education and Section 504 responsibilities, attendance accounting, and transportation responsibilities.

Financial provisions in the attached MOU state that mandatory expulsions are generally not billed to the sending ISD where TJJD coverage applies and a proper offense report is filed. For discretionary expulsions, the MOU establishes a daily rate ($125 per student per day) to be invoiced to sending ISDs. The document also includes procedures for transition planning and reporting requirements back to the sending districts.

Representatives associated with the MOU in the record include Denton County Juvenile Probation Assistant Director David G. Lenington and Denton County Juvenile Board Chair Kimberly McCary; Valley View ISD Superintendent C. James Womack presented the agreement to the board. Trustees approved the MOU and directed staff to follow through on signature and return procedures outlined in the MOU.