Fining parents for truancy

[chanel]

CONCORD (KCBS) – It could soon cost kids, and parents in Concord upwards of $500 if the teenager continues to cut class.

There’s no question about it, said Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, Concord police have their hands full with truant kids these days.

After a general warning, kids and their parents would be fined $100 after the first offense, $200 after the second, and $500 after the third.

Concord Could Fine Students For Cutting Class « CBS San Francisco

Good idea?

 

[Nate]

I'd say yes it's a good idea but it'll be a double edged sword... Finally puts more responsibility on the parent's shoulders for their bratty teens. Unfortunately, I can see the single mother/father who has to work two jobs to barely support her/his family and almost is never home getting screwed on this one... Regardless I'd like to see this play out and if it works bully for them!

 

[Baruch Menachem]

I think we will probably see a bunch of homeless kids from this one.

For a short time anyway. Enough kids get tossed on their ear for wrecking the family budget it will have a salutary effect.

It will only work if the parents and the system are sufficiently hard ass. Which I don't see happening

 

[CitizenPained]

Nah. Fine the kids. Put them in juvy courts. That works better. Then kick em out.

Fining parents doesn't do anything. The ones who have excessively truant kids are the ones that can't pay or don't care.

 

[Oddball]

CONCORD (KCBS) – It could soon cost kids, and parents in Concord upwards of $500 if the teenager continues to cut class.

There’s no question about it, said Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, Concord police have their hands full with truant kids these days.

After a general warning, kids and their parents would be fined $100 after the first offense, $200 after the second, and $500 after the third.

Concord Could Fine Students For Cutting Class « CBS San Francisco

Good idea?

Forced use is almost always a horrible idea.

Better the little miscreants skip out than be disruptions in the classrooms.

 

[Anachronism]

Sounds like a great idea. So far as I'm concerned they're the parent's property and responsibility until they turn 18, so the parents should be held liable for the child's whereabouts.

 

[chanel]

You're both probably right but it could be a deterrent for some. Our school started fining kids 100 bucks for smoking in the bathrooms. It didn't solve the problem, but it definitely helped. Our district does little to enforce truancy though. Teachers should not be held accountable for kids who are not there. It defies logic.

 

[Baruch Menachem]

More like don't care. the point of the fines is to make them care.

But I think the tenor of the original article was that the problem was the kids were loose and unsupervised. Whether they were getting an education or not was not the issue.

 

[ogibillm]

Forced use is almost always a horrible idea.

Better the little miscreants skip out than be disruptions in the classrooms.

on the other hand the school has to be prepared to teach them - meaning they have to have the facilities, faculty, and materials for all enrolled - but they'll only receive funding based on attendance.

That means the kid that's skipping out is costing the school money. I see no reason not to try to recoup some of that.

 

[Warrior102]

Good idea

 

[CitizenPained]

The school won't see that cash. It would cost a fuck lot more to catch and prosecute than what the city would see in revenue.

It may cut down on some skipping, but it will disproportionally hurt parents. A hundred bucks for ONE skip?! What about parents that don't have health insurance and they don't provide doc excuses? Or whatever? Or parents that just start habitually excusing their kids from class so they don't get fined (if you don't need a doc excuse)?

It's not gonna work. What they should do is remove habitually truant kids...unfortunately...that's hard. Here in Denver, it's 42 school days.

 

[High_Gravity]

The school won't see that cash. It would cost a fuck lot more to catch and prosecute than what the city would see in revenue.

It may cut down on some skipping, but it will disproportionally hurt parents. A hundred bucks for ONE skip?! What about parents that don't have health insurance and they don't provide doc excuses? Or whatever? Or parents that just start habitually excusing their kids from class so they don't get fined (if you don't need a doc excuse)?

It's not gonna work. What they should do is remove habitually truant kids...unfortunately...that's hard. Here in Denver, it's 42 school days.

I agree, bad idea. Most parents whos kids are truant have no control over them anyways, just let the Juvenile courts handle it.

 

[Oddball]

Forced use is almost always a horrible idea.

Better the little miscreants skip out than be disruptions in the classrooms.

on the other hand the school has to be prepared to teach them - meaning they have to have the facilities, faculty, and materials for all enrolled - but they'll only receive funding based on attendance.

That means the kid that's skipping out is costing the school money. I see no reason not to try to recoup some of that.

To damn bad.

This is exactly why gubmint has to force people to use their "services"...They're afraid that, if given the choice, most people wouldn't choose them...It's basically a giant protection racket disguised as an education system.

 

[chanel]

There are a zillion reasons why schools, police, parents, etc want teenagers contained and supervised. However, only school administrators with balls will say to a troublemnaker "You don't like it here, then sign out". It's not the educators that want to jkeep kids in school til theiy''re 21 oddball. It's the fucking public who doesn't want them "running the streets".

 

[Oddball]

There are a zillion reasons why schools, police, parents, etc want teenagers contained and supervised. However, only school administrators with balls will say to a troublemnaker "You don't like it here, then sign out".

Yeah, "contained"...No wonder so many of them want the hell out.

It's not the educators that want to jkeep kids in school til theiy''re 21 oddball.

Um, yes it is.

They receive funds based upon attendance.

Now the question begs: What are the schools doing that would motivate kids to actually want to attend?

 

[Granny]

Lots of good opinions here. It is a two edged sword. I think parents are responsible for getting their kids to school, but in many cases that doesn't work. Two jobs, etc. I can see how some people can't afford the fines. $500 is an excessive amount for a fine and doesn't "fit the crime."

Perhaps it would be better to pick the kids up, schedule a court date in juvy court, summon the parents, and then explain to them that they have cut classes and they are going to do some kind of community service work for a stated period of time - picking up trash, planting trees - whatever). It seems these days that kids want to avoid work altogether, so that should be a real killer punishment for them. Second offense the same routine but longer time doing community service. Third time, they've defied the prior two court orders, so they go to a juvenile home where they might finally learn a few lessons and take responsibility for which path in life they want to travel.

(I know, I'm an old goat.)

 

[chanel]

There are a zillion reasons why schools, police, parents, etc want teenagers contained and supervised. However, only school administrators with balls will say to a troublemnaker "You don't like it here, then sign out".

Yeah, "contained"...No wonder so many of them want the hell out.

It's not the educators that want to jkeep kids in school til theiy''re 21 oddball.

Um, yes it is.

They receive funds based upon attendance.


Now the question begs: What are the schools doing that would motivate kids to actually want to attend?[/QUOTE


Seriously dude? If you have the answer to that, please share. I"ve asked my students the same question and some of their responses included; no books; no rules; and nap time because that's what they have at home.

Some schools have tried to do that. See test results.

The NJ Supreme Court outlawed expulsion. That was NOT supported by the schools.

I believe next year, schools will be mandated to have "attendance action plans" with lots and lots of regs and committees and paperwork. Here's my action plan; put your damn kid on the bus.

99 percent of life is just showing up.

 

[Momanohedhunter]

CONCORD (KCBS) – It could soon cost kids, and parents in Concord upwards of $500 if the teenager continues to cut class.

There’s no question about it, said Mayor Laura Hoffmeister, Concord police have their hands full with truant kids these days.

After a general warning, kids and their parents would be fined $100 after the first offense, $200 after the second, and $500 after the third.

Concord Could Fine Students For Cutting Class « CBS San Francisco

Good idea?

Folks have been put in jail for it here. No, not a good idea.

 

[chanel]

Different states/districts have different truancy laws. It seems Concord had none.

What some people fail to realize is that many SSI and welfare checks are contingent
upon school enrollment. I highly doubt anyone at Social Security is checking attendance or report cards. That might be a better way to "encourage" compliance.

 

[signelect]

Students getting fined for truancy is stupid. Instead of tryin to make the parents pay, because it will be the parents payin for the fine,they should be worried about the students' education. There are so many ways to keep the students educated such as home school, online classes, Ged etc. Eventually the student will realize the only way to survive in this country is to be educated. It's LIFE. You LEARN AS YOU GO! Especially now that th economy is so fucked up and is hard to get a job an education is necessary.