Legislation that was inspired by a mass killing two years ago is getting tweaked on its second appearance before the full D.C. Council. If passed, the implementation of the massive youth mental health reform bill would be pushed back to the 2013-14 school year, a move that gives mental health and youth agencies and schools more time that just a few months to prepare for the changes.
In addition to some mostly clerical changes, the number of days a student can have an unexcused absence from school each academic year was bumped up in the bill from 15 to 20. Currently a student can have up to 25 unexcused absences until he or she gets a referral to social services.
The South Capital Street Tragedy Memorial Act of 2011 proposed by At-Large Councilmember David Catania goes on its first reading before council on Tuesday. The reform was sparked by a March 2010 drive-by shooting on South Capitol Street in which six teenagers were injured and four others were killed in the Highlands neighborhood of Ward 8. It was later found that some of the accused killers were wards of the city’s juvenile justice agency when they allegedly pulled the trigger.
