Citing drastic increases in truancy since the pandemic took hold, the Williams County Common Pleas Court, Juvenile Division, has created a new position, in an effort to remedy the situation. In collaboration with the county’s school districts…there is now a countywide attendance officer for the new school year. It’s Gale Horn, a retired officer from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, who worked in the Edgerton and Edon school districts for the last two years as a truancy officer. Horn will begin those duties this month and be responsible to monitor attendance and assist students in all the districts. He will work with school personnel and with families…to address issues of attendance early in the process…identifying barriers that are causing the student to miss school and take appropriate steps to resolve those issues. The court and the schools will make referrals to truancy mediation…to provide a means for the issues to be resolved. Officials say it will give the families and the schools an opportunity to voice their concerns that are causing the student to miss school.