how to adress the problem of chronic truancy?

Question

to address the problem of chronic truancy, schools should fine the parents of students who are frequently absent from school

agree/disagree and reason(s)

Answer 1

Chronic truancy may or may not have anything to do with parents. So that is not the solution.
You have to handle students . Each one has a diff problem. Incentives will help. Incentives in terms of recognition. Responsible things to do in school.
When parents are in error, they may be fined in diff ways. If unable to pay, it will pinch.
If rich, money is all they know... so it may not help.
Have to tackle at base; which I am sure you have tried some.
You have a tough job on hand. All the best.

Answer 2

Chronic truancy is usually a result of a dysfunctional family system. The student is not usually the problem,they are just the side effect that people see. Fining the family seems harsh to me. Many families are already abusive. This fining answer could easily fuel that. Can you imagine a parent blaming the child for the embarrassment of causing more stress to the family,shame,cost ,etc. associated with a punishment from his/her school?

Answer 3

Why would any one be truant? ..........
Thought on it for minute?
Well it seems to me that it's a symptom of a different problem.
The mismatch between the student's internal expectations and the school system's delivery.
A budding sociopath student faces behavior norms, and is forced to deal with consequences, hence the experience is unpleasant, skips.
A fragile budding intellectual is picked on, school system, puts him at risk... skips.
An abused kid, can't listen to what's said, hears echoes of before, ... skips.
An numb skull, can't understand, feels the reality of the situation.... skips.
Begin to see a pattern?
Social dogma won't work.
"SPED" kids aren't going to be real happy when the world goes past.
Weaker kids aren't masochistic....
If on average a teacher has 20 kids per class, and each kid gets 1/4 hour of individualized attention per week, that's 5 hours out a curriculum. See a problem?

We have a cookie cutter system, stamping out students, some of which still manage to succeed. Why not simply assign a delegated teacher to each student?
A little schedule changing in the upper grades, an aid added to free up time in the lower grades, poof, a responsible adult now custom tailoring and helping the student digest the "educational" experience.

Answer 4

That might work against the rich - who have high rates of school attendance amongst their children.

But for the poor - you can't take money away if they don't have it to start with. And the children of the poor are more likely to be truant and less looked after.

So this solution is simply foolhardy and won't work.

Now, placing the chronically truant kids in foster care or some sort of managed facility to change their behavior would be an option more likely to produce tangible results.

Answer 5

Because truancy is a societal problem, most truancy reduction programs are community-based. School systems, police and probation departments, welfare departments, and other social service agencies are teaming up to get kids back in school.

A program in Chester, Pennsylvania, recognizes that fining parents is often not enough to change the behavior of truant youths. Instead, the new program will require community service of participating students. "This is a step to facilitate education, not penalize a family.

How would you react to a letter threatening legal action and possible prosecution? The Los Angeles District Attorney's office sends letters to the parents of truant students. The letters threaten the parents with criminal prosecution unless they attend a school meeting.

In September 1997, the New York Times reported that three city schools would be among the first in the state to pilot a learnfare program. By law, the program would extend to all schools in the state by September 1999. The article described the state law:

"...If a child missed five or more days of school in a three-month academic quarter 'without good cause,' the social services agency is required to cut welfare benefits for that child's household. The law applies to children in first through sixth grades."

According to the article, "Critics have asserted that the policy punishes children for their parents' failure to get them to school. Supporters defend it as a route out of welfare for children who are encouraged to stay in school."

These actions also grab the attention of parents and guardians, but again caution must be taken to avoid penalizing families when it is not warranted.

Schools in Columbus, Ohio, instituted a program called SMART -- Student Mediation and Assistance to Reduce Truancy -- to speed up action in truancy cases. The program requires that families of chronic truants must meet with school officials and members of the County Juvenile Court's Protective Services Department. Officials use the meetings to determine why the student(s) are not attending school and to make parents aware of their responsibilities.

"Parents are warned that their children are entitled to an education and they could face a civil charge of educational neglect, which could result in a child being removed from the home," states a Columbus Dispatch report. "Parents also could be charged with contributing to the non-support of a minor, a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of six months in jail and $1,000 fine."

In Chicago, public school officials are attacking truancy by combining "systemwide efforts, local initiatives, and improved programs for at-risk youth." The policy includes an automated calling system that will contact homes of truant students and a 24-hour truancy hotline which citizens can use to report truant students. According to a 1996 press release, the primary problem is at the high school level.

How can students learn the importance of punctuality, of attending school for the entire day -- especially the beginning of the day? Some high schools in Boston are making the point by locking school doors in a controversial program that targets latecomers.

This bulletin describes successful truancy-prevention programs throughout the country.
http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/truncy.txt#truncy

**Best bet is to contact your local Child Protective Services or the School directly and ask to speak with the truancy officer if they have one. If not, contact your CPS at your local Health and Human Services. You can also contact your local police department but DO NOT call the 911 number, look in your local phone book for the non-emergency number and they will look into it.

Answer 6

ABSOLUTELY.

FIRSTLY- AFTER A GIVEN 1 TARDY- PHONE CALLS FOLLOWED BY LETTER MAILED TO PARENTS. TO NOTIFY

SECONDLY- AFTER 2-3-PARENTS SHOULD BE MADE TO ACCOMPANY CHILD INTO THE OFFICE AND SIGN THE STUDENT IN AND MEET WITH AUTHORITY FIGURE TO DISCUSS TARDINESS.

AFTER 4-5 TARDY'S-THE PARENTS SHOULD BE FINED A MONITARY FEE THAT GOES INTO THE PTA FUND LITERALLY COSTLY LIKE 20.00 A POP AND THE LATE CHILD SHOULD BE MADE TO SERVE A WORK DETENTION- STAY AFTER SCHOOL FOR 1 HOUR AND CLEAN OUT GARBAGE CAN WITH SOAP AND WATER,. A FEW TIMES OF ANY OF THE ABOVE AND IT' WILL STOP. THE TEACHERS ARE DISCIPLINED IF LATE- WHY NOT THE STUDENTS. NO EXCUSE