2025 Solutions Summit To Address Truancy Crisis In Louisiana: From Truancy To Triumph. From Absence To Opportunity. - Press Release

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2025 Solutions Summit To Address Truancy Crisis In Louisiana: From Truancy To Triumph. From Absence To Opportunity. 
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<div align="left" style="text-align:center;"><table style="width:100%;background-color:#428bca;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td bgcolor="#428bca" height="21" valign="middle" width="100%"><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">2025 Press Releases</span></strong> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="16%" style="width:1112px;"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><table style="width:100%;text-align:center;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="82" style="text-align:left;width:71px;">CONTACT:&nbsp;</td><td width="253" style="text-align:left;width:1039px;">Trina S. Vincent<br />504-310-2590 </td></tr></tbody></table><div align="left" style="text-align:center;"><table style="width:100%;border-spacing:3px;background-color:#f7ebc6;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="38%" style="text-align:left;"><span style="color:#212073;text-transform:uppercase;"><strong>September 8, 2025</strong></span> </td><td width="62%"><p align="right"><span style="color:#212073;"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></span> </p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="text-align:center;"><strong></strong>&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:center;text-transform:uppercase;"><strong>2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT TO ADDRESS TRUANCY CRISIS IN LOUISIANA: <br />FROM TRUANCY TO TRIUMPH. FROM ABSENCE TO OPPORTUNITY.</strong> </p><p>Today, the Louisiana Supreme Court (LASC), the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), and the Louisiana Children&rsquo;s Cabinet brought together over 375 leaders from across the state for the <strong>2025 Solutions Summit </strong>at the Four Points by Sheraton Convention Center in Alexandria. This statewide event focused on addressing the critical issue of truancy and its widespread impact on children, families, schools, and communities.</p><p>Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer stated: &ldquo;This initiative marks a significant effort to address the challenges facing Louisiana students who are truant and at risk of entering the legal system. By bringing together all relevant stakeholders, we identified root causes from diverse perspectives. This collaborative process has allowed us to craft actionable solutions that support better outcomes for these students.&rdquo;</p><p>With the theme <strong>&ldquo;From Truancy to Triumph, From Absence to Opportunity,&rdquo;</strong> the summit convened judges, educators, child welfare professionals, justice system stakeholders, school resource officers, and community advocates. Together, they worked on proactive strategies to reduce truancy and enhance student engagement. </p><p>Participants benefitted from a comprehensive agenda featuring expert-led panels, interactive breakout sessions, and real-world examples of successful interventions. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry addressed attendees by recorded message. Opening remarks were delivered by Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer and Justice John Michael Guidry, along with Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley, BESE President Ronnie Morris and BESE Member Dr. Sharon Clark. Ret. Judge David Matlock, Caddo Juvenile Court, served as Master of Ceremonies, First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Blair B. Edwards hosted the ceremony.</p><p>Featured speakers included Louisiana Supreme Court, Justice Piper D. Griffin, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Timothy S. Marcel, Orleans Juvenile Court Judge Ranord J. Darensburg, East Baton Rouge Juvenile Court Judge Gail Grover along with several leaders from the education and child welfare sectors.</p><p>The one-day summit addressed a wide range of topics, including early interventions and proactive strategies for addressing absenteeism, best practices for collaborative approaches, the informal Families in Need of Services (FINS) process, navigating the truancy adjudication process, supporting students as they return to school, and strengthening the role of children and youth planning boards.</p><p><em><strong>Louisiana Supreme Court Mission:</strong> To preserve the integrity of the judiciary, to build and maintain public trust, to provide effective and efficient administration of justice in the Supreme Court, to ensure proper administration and performance of all courts under Supreme Court authority, and to ensure the highest professional conduct, integrity, and competence of the bench and bar.</em> </p><p><strong>For more information visit <a href="/">lasc.org</a> or contact Louisiana Supreme Court Deputy Judicial Administrator-Community Relations, Trina S. Vincent at <a href="mailto:tvincent@lasc.org">tvincent@lasc.org</a>.</strong></p><p style="text-align:center;"><strong>-30-</strong></p><link rel="stylesheet" href="/press_room/press_releases/2025/images/2025-02_picgrid.css" /><div class="picgrid"><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2025/images/2025-10_Solutions_Summit_Matlock_Guidry_Chief_Morris.jpg" alt="2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: RET. CADDO JUVENILE COURT JUDGE DAVID MATLOCK, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOHN MICHAEL GUIDRY, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER, AND BESE PRESIDENT RONNIE MORRIS DISCUSS TRUANCY DURING OPENING REMARKS." /><br /><span class="caption">2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: RET. CADDO JUVENILE COURT JUDGE DAVID MATLOCK, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOHN MICHAEL GUIDRY, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER, AND BESE PRESIDENT RONNIE MORRIS DISCUSS TRUANCY DURING OPENING REMARKS.</span> </p></div><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2025/images/2025-10_Solutions_Summit_LASC_Chief_Justice_John_L_Weimer.jpg" alt="2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER MAKES OPENING REMARKS TO 380 EDUCATIONAL AND LEGAL STAKEHOLDERS WHO WERE PRESENT TO COLLABORATE ON STRATEGIES TO COMBAT TRUANCY." /><br /><span class="caption">2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER MAKES OPENING REMARKS TO OVER 375 EDUCATIONAL AND LEGAL STAKEHOLDERS WHO WERE PRESENT TO COLLABORATE ON STRATEGIES TO COMBAT TRUANCY. </span> </p></div><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2025/images/2025-10_Solutions_Summit_statewide_judges.jpg" alt="2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: JUDGES FROM THROUGHOUT THE STATE ATTENDED A COLLABORATIVE SUMMIT TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE TRUACY CRISIS." /><br /><span class="caption">2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT: LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER AND JUSTICE PIPER D. GRIFFIN WITH JUDGES FROM THROUGHOUT THE STATE ATTENDED A COLLABORATIVE SUMMIT TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS THE TRUACY CRISIS.</span> </p></div><div><p><img src="/press_room/press_releases/2025/images/2025-10_Solutions_Summit_LASC_Collaborative Leadership.jpg" alt="2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP: RET. CADDO JUVENILE COURT JUDGE DAVID MATLOCK, LOUISIANA STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION DR. CADE BRUMLEY, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXEC. DIR. OF ATTENDANCE STRATEGY DR. MISTY DAVIS, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT DEPUTY JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES STORM EHLERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LA CHILDREN’S TRUST FUND URSULA ANDERSON, LASC CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER, LOUISIANA CHILDREN’S CABINET DIRECTOR JOLIE WILLIAMSON, FIRST CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEAL JUDGE BLAIR B. EDWARDS, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES JUDICIAL PROGRAM MANAGER RESHONN A. SAUL. LASC EXECUTIVE COUNSEL TO CHIEF JUSTICE WEIMER, CATHERINE NAPOLITANO, FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEAL JUDGE TIM S. MARCEL, LASC DEPUTY JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, TRINA S. VINCENT." /><br /><span class="caption">2025 SOLUTIONS SUMMIT COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP: RET. CADDO JUVENILE COURT JUDGE DAVID MATLOCK, LOUISIANA STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION DR. CADE BRUMLEY, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXEC. DIR. OF ATTENDANCE STRATEGY DR. MISTY DAVIS, LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT DEPUTY JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES STORM EHLERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LA CHILDREN&rsquo;S TRUST FUND URSULA ANDERSON, LASC CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER, LOUISIANA CHILDREN&rsquo;S CABINET DIRECTOR JOLIE WILLIAMSON, FIRST CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEAL JUDGE BLAIR B. EDWARDS, CHILDREN AND FAMILIES JUDICIAL PROGRAM MANAGER RESHONN A. SAUL. LASC EXECUTIVE COUNSEL TO CHIEF JUSTICE WEIMER, CATHERINE NAPOLITANO, FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEAL JUDGE TIMOTHY S. MARCEL, LASC DEPUTY JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, TRINA S. VINCENT.</span> </p></div></div><p>&nbsp;</p>
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