LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The school year just started, but some students are already getting guidance on how to stay on the right path outside of the classroom.
It’s a program called The Harbor, but students who have completed it describe it as a wake-up call. The goal of the program is to move kids away from things like truancy, fighting, or drugs at school. Ultimately, helping them avoid the juvenile justice system — and a permanent record.
The Clark County School District Police Department works with program leaders. It’s a one-of-a-kind program in Southern Nevada that offers kids under the age of 17 counseling and guidance.
Lieutenant Bryan Zink with CCSD Police says just this school year, they’ve already recommended over 20 students to the program. Zink says this new system is better than how they used to do things, which involved citations or arrests that led to the juvenile justice system.
However, if a family seeks assistance from The Harbor without any existing legal involvement, there will be no creation of a juvenile record.
“You can cite the same kid for the same offense 10 times. It makes absolutely no difference because there’s there may or may not be consequences,” Lt. Zink said. “So, by having them be able to go to The Harbor and be assessed, they might find out, well, this kid needs some kind of psychological help. This kid needs some help in the home. It hopefully gets that child and the family the services that they do need, so that we don’t have a repeat offender.”
There are four Harbor locations across Las Vegas and Henderson, all free of charge for students and their families.
On average, The Harbor serves about 500 kids and families each month.
To learn more, visit The Harbor’s website.
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