To benefit from education, no matter what grade, a student must
actually be in school.
To benefit from education, no matter what grade, a student must actually be in school. An obvious fact perhaps, but one that is being ignored by some parents and children in the Morgan Hill School District. There are a variety of reasons for truancy, the district is well aware, but unfortunately, bare bones budgets have made it harder for the district to focus on the problem.
That’s where the Morgan Hill Police Department and Community Solutions come in. Kudos to MHPD officers and Lt. Joe Sampson for speaking up about the issue and starting a dialogue with the School District to do something about it.
Officers raised the issue in part because of what they see as they go about their business. One of the causes of truancy that they encounter frequently is simply a lack of discipline. Responding to a call, they all too often find school-age children in the home and ask why the children are not in school. They are told, he/she did not want to go today.
Who is the adult here? The children, minors, most of them 5th-8th graders we are told, are allowed to make the decision about whether they attend school or not? Do they also decide when they go to bed at night, when to visit the doctor, what to eat for dinner, how much video game time is okay, whether to do their homework or not?
Many of us could occasionally answer “yes” to some of these questions. Most parents try, particularly as their children grow, to allow them some responsibility and choices, in order to hone their decision-making skills. But the question of whether to go to school or not should not arise, unless little Jack has, for example, no fever but is sick enough that going to school would not only expose his classmates and teacher to illness but also that it would do him little good in the way of learning to be there.
Attendance for children is mandatory, it is a law, unless other arrangements have been made. There are times and situations where independent study and homeschooling are the right choices. We also are fortunate enough to have an effective continuation high school, an independent study program and adult school for those who need other choices.
Parents are setting an extremely bad example and leaving themselves open to prosecution when they allow their children to decide to stay at home.
Of course, there are family situations where the child does not rule, but is abused or witness to abuse, probably would like to go to school but is too embarrassed or simply kept home so others will not discover the abuse. Or the parent(s) cannot get their own lives together, much less be responsible for getting the child to school.
This is where agencies like Community Solutions and the county’s Child Protective Services department come in.
But no matter what the situation, the big impact is what happens when that student is continually truant: naturally the grades drop, a sense of failure (even if it is buried deep under layers of bravado) and incompetence develops, leading to frustration, more rebellion, until the child can finally legally drop out in the 10th grade.
As the MHPD knows, it is children in these situations that are most likely to start getting into trouble. Even if they are of the small percentage who do not go on to become habitual criminals, what options do they have for the future?
An oft-repeated phrase in this district, “opening doors for students,” applies here. When parents allow their children to make the choice to stay home, they are pushing several “doors” closer to closed. When the School District and the MHPD and agencies like Community Solutions work together to find these kids and get them back in school, they are wedging in a very effective doorstop.
Given the support services available, there really is no acceptable excuse for absenteeism or tardiness.
Whether you are a parent who is legitimately over-worked, or a parent – or a student – who simply cannot get out of bed before noon, all you have to do is ask for assistance. Can’t figure out how to set an alarm clock? The district provides a wake-up service. Have legitimate difficulty with the logistics of getting to school? Call the district and ask for help with transportation services. Social service agencies such as Community Solutions provide additional support.
The fact is that an enormous amount of funding, resources, and effort are dedicated to helping chronically absent students get an education, which is why we remain skeptical that the effort to put some bite into the truancy laws will result in significant improvement. The habitually absent and tardy seem prepared for one thing only – the next lame excuse.
That is sad because for economically disadvantaged children, chronic absenteeism and tardiness is the surest way to remain economically disadvantaged. Conversely, just showing up – getting yourself to school before the first bell rings – is the obvious first step in breaking the cycle. As one teacher told us, “If you can just get your child to school, and get them there on time, I’ll teach them.”
