whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Apr 25, 2011 22:51:49 GMT -5
Baltimore sends parents to jail for truant kids By Liz Goodwin
* By Liz Goodwin liz Goodwin – Mon Apr 25, 2:18 pm ET
About a dozen parents have been sentenced for their children's truancy this year and some have gone for jail for the crime, the Baltimore Sun's Erica Green reports.
Green profiles Barbara Gaskins, who spent 10 days in jail after her 15-year-old son missed the overwhelming majority of school days this year. She says she dropped him off at the bus stop each morning and taught him the importance of education. She was worried about finding childcare for her four young children while serving the time.
"We're dealing with less than 1 percent of students and parents, and certainly this is one of the toughest decisions we have," Jonathan Brice, who oversees the school district's truancy office, told Green. "But it's critical that we get those parents' and young people's attention about the seriousness of being in school." Education experts, however, were less confident that cracking down on parents would lift attendance.
The school system's court liaison Alfred Barbour told the paper that no parents served jail time last year--and that only three did in 2009. Hundreds of them are cited each year for truancy however, and charges are filed after a student misses 15 days. For parents to be convicted, the school has to prove they knew their child wasn't attending school.
Criminalizing parental laziness has had something of a nationwide movement lately. California's new strict anti-truancy bill took effect at the beginning of this year. Parents can serve up to a year in jail if convicted of allowing their children to skip class. Florida and Texas already have similar laws on the books. And one Michigan prosecutor wants an ordinance passed to send parents who miss parent-teacher conferences to jail for three days a pop.It's bad enough I have to pay for all kinds of stupid things and now this? And trust me when I say this - Baltimore schools have much bigger problems than some students missing classes. Lena P.S. Oped, I am "this" close to HS
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azphx1972
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Post by azphx1972 on Apr 25, 2011 22:55:23 GMT -5
For parents to be convicted, the school has to prove they knew their child wasn't attending school.
I'd like to know how they were able to prove this.
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Apr 25, 2011 23:56:49 GMT -5
Perhaps others will disagree, but I don't think sending these parents to jail is a big deal. It's not like the kid missed just a few days of school, she had to have known well before it got to that point.
Maybe this will send these parents a wake up call. It's not like they're being sent to jail for years.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Apr 26, 2011 0:33:39 GMT -5
I knew a girl who missed most of first grade because the grandparents raising her didn't make her go. The poor child didn't know as much as the other kids and felt stupid in second grade. Her mother was on drugs and her father an alcoholic and the grandparents were worthless too. Her dad married someone a little better and got custody after she was removed from grandparents for abuse. So at 7 she had committed sexual offenses with a younger boy, she learned about sex from watching grandparents, and moved many times and was behind in school. The step mother was making her go to school and do homework and any guardian that didn't should be punished.
My brother had a neighbor with a son who didn't want to go to school. Both parents worked and left just before he had to leave to get the bus. He would be ready to leave when they left yet just didn't go. My brother was unemployed and they were good friends so he would go get their boy and see that he got on the bus not just to the bus stop. Sometimes it is hard for the parents to make the kids go to school but it is a duty. They need to figure out how to do it even if they need to use punishment or rewards. I would make sure my kids rather go to school than deal with me. Parents are only required to provide basics in food, clothing and shelter not nice clothes or food they like or even a door on the bedroom or any electronics or recreation.
My nephew once told his mother he was doing fine in school then brought home a bad report card when he was around 14. Lying to his mother got him punished for months. He was required to bring home a note from the teacher every day saying what homework he had then he stopped but his grade was up. He told his mother he was doing fine but nearly didn't pass. Until the next report card he was not allowed to play pinochle and had to go to his room at his sister's bedtime with no TV or computer and he could read, do homework or sleep nothing else. He learned not to lie to his mother it was painful to watch him sit at the table when everyone was playing pinochle and not get cards even if we needed a fourth he couldn't play. It was the worst thing she could have done to him but he learned a lesson.
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❤ mollymouser ❤
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Post by ❤ mollymouser ❤ on Apr 26, 2011 0:38:57 GMT -5
Laws like these have been in the UK since 2000, with some question about how effective they are. Article: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7868061.stmExcerpts from the article ... A parent is jailed for their child's truancy once a fortnight every school term in England and Wales, analysis of court statistics shows. The first high-profile jailing of a truant's parent, Patricia Amos in 2002, sparked international controversy. But since then, away from the headlines, penalties for parents have risen rapidly, with 10,000 prosecutions in England in 2007 - up 76% since 2000. Despite the penalties, unauthorised absences are higher than in 1997. The latest figures on tackling truancy and parental responsibility, published on Thursday, show that there has been a 41% annual increase in the number of parenting contracts to improve attendance in England. The "fast-track" scheme to intervene with truancy problems has had 125,000 cases since 2004.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Apr 26, 2011 7:24:10 GMT -5
Sorry, it's not stupid at all. Parents abdicate responsibility for their children to the schools and this is the results. 4 more kids at home and she can't take care of the one? Nice "planning." Probably learned from mom that education was the key to having to work instead of being taken care of.
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Apr 26, 2011 7:35:39 GMT -5
Sorry, it's not stupid at all. Parents abdicate responsibility for their children to the schools and this is the results. 4 more kids at home and she can't take care of the one? Nice "planning." Probably learned from mom that education was the key to having to work instead of being taken care of. I agree 100%. After almost 20 years in social work, I would say about 99% of truancy cases, the parents are very well aware their child is not going to school, nor have they made any effort to make sure they are going to school. Many people will say, "well how do you MAKE a 15 year old go to school" but you need to understand that in most cases, the 15 year old doesn't JUST stop going to school. It's a years long problem that has been allowed to go on, and on, and on. There is typically a history of absolutely no structure (bedtime, homework time, etc) nor any clear expectations about going to school or education being important. When a parent spends 15 years of a childs life putting their own needs above that of their child (example: dragging 4 school age kids to WalMart at midnight on the first of the month because they got their food stamps and NEED to buy food) and I could give a million other examples of this, what do you expect? Of course there are exceptions to this, but, they certainly are in the minority, IME.
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cael
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Post by cael on Apr 26, 2011 7:53:39 GMT -5
Sir's mother made him stay home from high school some days to watch his baby brother so she could go to work if her daycare fell though it didn't happen too frequently, but still - it's at least part of the reason he ended up with a GED and didn't graduate. She gave him no support, didn't try to help him when the 3rd high school he went to in a year didn't take half his credits from out of state and put him in freshman classes at 17, and she was OK with him dropping out and getting the GED at 20 and just expected him to start working full time, so he could pay more of her bills. For god's sake *my* mother was the one who threw him a party when he finally got his GED! Makes me so mad!! </rant> So I guess my point is, there are crappy parents out there who for whatever reason, don't care so much about their kids going to school. I don't think this law is ridiculous.
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Post by pig on Apr 26, 2011 8:12:04 GMT -5
Perhaps others will disagree, but I don't think sending these parents to jail is a big deal
Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. so jailing the parents so they lose their employment and income will benefit the child. Please.
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Bluerobin
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Post by Bluerobin on Apr 26, 2011 8:17:50 GMT -5
Let's see now, mom won't raise my allowance. I will fix her. I will skip school so she gets thrown in jail. That will show her! Yep, seems like a good law to me. What do they want the parent to do - chain the kid to a desk when they drop them off?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 8:20:12 GMT -5
The last thing we need in this country is more people going to jail for minor offenses. Lets early release some drug dealers so we can fit these parents into our jails.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Apr 26, 2011 8:25:26 GMT -5
I can not believe that anyone would think it's a good idea. For one - how much does our parenting really have to be regulated? ? Bc then we should be starting WAY before children get to school age. We should start with people having children period. If you don't think that Mary will be a good parent, force her to have an abortion. But if we oh so famous for saying "it's a free country" than how dare we punish parents for a certain way of parenting. YOU might think education is important, but may be Mary does not. Second - jail? Are you kidding me??? It's bad enough that children are ruling their parents now days, with all kinds of stupid threats "oh, I'll call CPS on you" (and yes, I actually heard that one with my own ears), now, like Bluerobin said "hey, you want me to go to school? sure, cough up some cash and we'll see what happens" And!!! jail??? I am sorry, are we using the same punishment for parenting now that we use for violent people, people steal, drink and drive, disobey all kinds of other laws?? I need to find another planet to live on, bc this one has going insane Lena
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Bluerobin
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Post by Bluerobin on Apr 26, 2011 8:27:11 GMT -5
Throw the kid in jail, or at least reform school, where he can learn something.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 8:35:28 GMT -5
I think if you don't want to send your kids to public school, then you make another choice and do it correctly. And I come from PA, a 'red' homeschooling state with lots of regulations and i'm fine with that... I think there should be accountability. Basically, because Kids have rights too... and I knew parents when i was teaching public who would have kept their kids home because it was easier for them... and not cared much about the kid. The one who comes to mind first is the girl whose mother didn't bother to get rid of her head lice until the truancy fines kicked in. Also, schools get funding based on attendance. When kids are not in class.... the school's funding drops... however, they still have to run the bus by the kids house/ keep a teacher in the classroom/ produce lunches in the cafeteria... etc. as if the child was attending... I am not for jail time, but i see why truancy fines exist. As far as being this close ... I know you'll join us eventually... lol, its amazing how big the club is getting.... I run into homeschooling familes all the time.... and there were 3 new moms at our last group meeting...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 10:33:47 GMT -5
When my daughter was in 10th grade I got summoned to the school because she'd been skipping class. When I got there, I was informed that she hadn't been to her math class more than 5 times in several WEEKS. The conference already wasn't going well because the asst principal was a smart ass. I turned the tables and told him I drop my daughter off at school every morning and I wanted to know why it took them WEEKS to inform me that she'd been skipping a class. He hemmed and hawed, I pressed the issue, and he lost the attitude.
I have a cousin that's a middle school principal. She'd drop her daughter off at school, the girl would go in the front door and out the back door. Her Mom had no idea until her daughter got in trouble for skipping school.
Some parents don't care what their kids do; some parents do care and try to make the kids do the right thing and the kids go bonkers anyway.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 11:11:16 GMT -5
As a trouble maker (and I have a few trouble maker cousins) I can attest that parents sometimes are truly unaware.
I missed classes or cut school and my mom did not know... she or my uncle/aunts would drop me off to school in the morning and a few minutes later I would leave.
My cousin would come to school dress like the Christian girl her mom wants her to be and change in the bathroom into the slutty (my aunts words) clothes she wanted to wear to begin with... and makeup too (my aunt would have died).
Kids sometimes do stupid things (heck I am 26 and sometimes I still take the stupid pills), and not everything is the parent's faults.
But you better believe if my mom went to jail because I was cutting class and she did know about it... I would volunteer myself to go to a foster home till I turn 18 because I know there would be hell to pay when she was released.
Haitian parents do not believe in lecturing, being grounded... but in some good old fashion ass whooping!
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souldoubt
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Post by souldoubt on Apr 26, 2011 11:22:51 GMT -5
I had a friend who was a year older than me and growing up both him and his brother were trouble makers so to speak. Anyways he ditched school a lot and it got to a point where his mom was going to be held liable and face a fine and/or jail time and this was back in probably 1997 or 1998 in California. The schools get after parents because they really want the money they get for attendance numbers. To avoid a fine or jail she used some of her vacation and spent a week following her son around his high school campus. It embarassed the hell out of him but in the end he started to go to class, she avoided trouble and most importantly he straightened out.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Apr 26, 2011 11:34:04 GMT -5
I used to skip class from time to time. Not entire days, but I'd take a 2 hour lunch or something along those lines. My parents never had a clue. If you missed more than 8 class periods (for the same class) in a semester you had to have a meeting with the principal. Otherwise the school would leave a voice mail informing the parents that "Sheila was marked absent for 3rd period today" It was an automated recording. Since both my parents worked all I had to do was erase the message before they got home from work. I did get busted a couple of times because someone would recognize my car and ask my parents what I was doing driving around town at 1pm on Tuesday. Damn Narcs
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stats45
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Post by stats45 on Apr 26, 2011 11:55:55 GMT -5
We refuse to talk about out-of-wedlock births as a social problem, and these are the consequences. It is difficult for a married couple earning a decent salary to support four children, much less a single parent.
If you make the government the indirect babysitter and provider for a large portion of children, you have this problem. We want to know that children aren't being punished for their parent's decisions while not rewarding the parent's choices. The truth is that we just can't do both. I think that programs that help children in poor environments are needed, but we've constructed programs that encourage and subsidize poor environments and irresponsible family planning.
Jail is not the answer. Eventually, we are going to have to make difficult decisions about programs that 'help children' if we want to make a radical break from the status quo.
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qofcc
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Post by qofcc on Apr 26, 2011 12:00:07 GMT -5
I skipped close to 100 days of school in 5th or 6th grade. Some of the time I needed to stay home and take care of my younger sister because my mom was a special ed teacher and she couldn't take any time off without loosing her job, but most of the time I just didn't want to go because I hated the new school and neighborhood she dragged us to live in after her divorce. I made it a point to go on the days there were tests and I always turned in my homework so I was never in any danger of failing anything except gym class because I tried to stay home every day that they forced us to participate in public humiliation (gym) class and they don't hold kids back for failing gym/music/art in grade school. I never had a problem with the academics. Even then, I could read a book and follow instructions without some teacher standing up there and repeating things until the slowest kid got it or the class fell asleep. My mom had no idea how much school I was skipping until they called the truant officer on me and dragged me in one day. She was pretty upset that they called her in being a teacher and all, but the problem wasn't with her parenting, it was with me dealing with the situation she put me in.
If a child is skipping school, they need to investigate what's bothering the child, not jail the parent. There's also in-school suspension where the parent has to drop the child off, sign them in, and sign them out to pick them up. I think it's ridiculous that they would take a parent away from work or their other children to punish them for something their child did.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 18:39:43 GMT -5
You read every day how teachers should be held accountable for students' failure to learn. What is wrong with holding parents accountable as well?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 20:15:35 GMT -5
lol... I guess if a kid is playing truant, mom and dad's authority may be a little lacking anyway? ...
So, schools should be responsible for EVERYTHING... and parents are responsible for nothing?
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Post by ty on Apr 26, 2011 20:18:40 GMT -5
Let's see now, mom won't raise my allowance. I will fix her. I will skip school so she gets thrown in jail. That will show her! Yep, seems like a good law to me. What do they want the parent to do - chain the kid to a desk when they drop them off?
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Post by ty on Apr 26, 2011 20:24:16 GMT -5
A friend of mine was sued because a car reared-ended him, pushing his car into the car in front of him injuring the old lady in that car. The car that caused the accident didn't have to pay the old lady a thing because his car wasn't the one that hit her.
WTF are people thinking and doing in America that comes up with this kind of bs. The third car is totally 100% responsible for the full accident. If he had never hit my friends car, his car wouldn't have hit the old woman's car in the first place.
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 20:38:17 GMT -5
So we should fine and lock up the kid?
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Post by ty on Apr 26, 2011 20:46:47 GMT -5
So we should fine and lock up the kid? Actually the kid need a tracking ankle device put on him instead of tossing the parents in jail. This way they can be monitored where they are during the day like in school. Parents get a key to put it on them before heading to school and then the truant officers can monitor them. Easy fix for the problem rather than tossing the parents in jail.
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Post by ty on Apr 26, 2011 20:47:38 GMT -5
Perhaps others will disagree, but I don't think sending these parents to jail is a big deal Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. so jailing the parents so they lose their employment and income will benefit the child. Please.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 20:52:55 GMT -5
How about parents make sure their kids show up to school.... and then they won't have a fine? ...
I personally choose not to use public schools. But once you are enrolled.... the school has expenses based on your enrollment... and they only get funding if you show up.... but the expenses are always there.... they already have to be responsible for everything... parents can't even be responsible for kids showing up? It is the school's responsiblity to track kids?
If you don't want your kids in public... don't enrol them. If you enroll them in public... make sure they go... or pay the fine...
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Apr 26, 2011 22:10:15 GMT -5
So basically, school doesn't really care about ONE THING that it is designed to care - education, it just cares that it will loose the funding? Nice!!!
And I must have missed that memo that entitled schools to set up rules for parenting. The responsibility for a child rests 100% on the parent, not schools, not friendly neighborhood center, not anyone else. So, let parents handle it. Unless there is an evidence of abuse, everyone should stay out. And lack of providing proper education is not an abuse.
Lena
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2011 22:37:42 GMT -5
They are not setting up rules for parenting. They are setting up rules for attending school. If you are enrolled... you have to attend based on the attendance policy... You can be excused for these reasons, this many days.
How do you expect education to take place without funding? How do you expect children to learn if they are not in class? How do you expect to hold teachers accountable, when the kid doesn't even bother to show up? ....
Why should you as the taxpayer be asked to pay out money for transportation, teachers, food, etc... for kids who don't even show up?? ...
There is no case unless there is abuse... there is no truancy unless the number of ILLEGAL absenses goes over like 10... (that's what it is here... )
This isn't about a parent choosing not to educate their child. Although arguments could be made about 'lack of providing a proper education being abuse'... If a parent wants to keep the kid at home and not teach them anything, fine... go ahead and do it.... but if you enroll them in public school... and expect the school to pay to provide services for them... and expect the teacher to be accountable for the students test scores and achievement (merit pay anyone?) ... then you best live up to your end of the agreement and make sure the kid is in school... or sign him out... or emancipate him if its too much trouble to know where your kid is...
If the responsiblity for the child rests 100% on the parent... then why can't the parent see that the child is in school? .... If the responsiblity for the child rests 100% on the parent... then why are teachers being held accountable for everything under the sun?
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