Truancy Law?

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

And Thealexa, I believe there are exceptions for home schooled children, but how do the police know they are homeschooled? I think there is probably a registry through the school system but I could be wrong.

There is.

And there's a van that drives around lakewood looking for kids, who can look up names.



Do the home-schooled kids have to obey the rules of the high school? That doesn't make any sense. I don't need to wear an ID around my neck at all times if I'm in my room, and if I'm at home and I want to wear a hoodie, I'm wearing a darn hoodie!

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Photo above is of propaganda from the early 2000's. Somewhere around 2004-2005.

[Gary Rice]

Sorry people,

I gotta go with the Mayor and Dr. Estrop on this one.

Speaking as a teacher (retired) and as one who probably gave Mayor FitzGerald a few headaches with my postings on the curbside garbage issue, I want to side WITH him in this case.

Come on everyone. No one is looking to round up the home-schooled, or work-study crowd here. No one is intending to turn Lakewood into a police state. This law has every chance that it can help the city, the schools, and ultimately, the truants.

Having LOCAL ordinances in place can provide much greater expedience and flexibility in dealing with chronic issues involving juvenile troublemakers. Back when I was teaching in another district, there were so many truly SEVERE issues coming before the crowded Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court dockets, that to bring a simple truancy charge downtown could have been, well, (let's opine here charitably), possibly either prioritized lower, OR more likely (and unfortunately necessarily), scheduled way off to some distant court date, so far away as to make timely prosecution a virtual dream.

With a local ordinance in place, prompt local action can be taken, and local remedies applied.

Young law-breakers need to learn that they cannot abuse the system. They need to be in school, hitting the books, and following the law, or else, facing the consequences in a timely and appropriate fashion

Mayor FitzGerald is, after all, an experienced lawyer and former law enforcement officer.

Let's give credit here where credit's due.

This is simply a tool intended to help all concerned.

[Gary Rice]

And yes, there is a system of due process in place for students in the schools. That's the law too.

[Jim O'Bryan]

The Administration states that the data is low during the first part of the 2008-2009 school year because most instances of truancy and delinquency arise in the second part of the school year based upon past experience.
Matt

Are there any reasons giving to this?
Cabin fever, bored, grades?

.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Gary,

I'm a bit confused about how convicting a child with truancy can help him hit the books.

It'd be tough to turn homework in on time from jail. Do they even have books in jail?

Plus, keeping a kid back a year isn't as bad as charging them with a misdemeanor. Employers ask you if you hold a high school diploma on your job resume, and they ask you if you've ever been convicted of a crime. It's more likely that the kid will never want to go back to school after being convicted, so the child will be without a diploma, and then he/she will have to put down truancy as the crime they've been convicted of.

Try talking your way into a job with a crime like that on your record.

Why don't we waterboard the trouble makers and drug dealing kids first, and then worry about the kids that don't want to see their teachers ever again?


Are you trying to teach everyone how to play the blues here? I thought one student was enough!:P

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

The Administration states that the data is low during the first part of the 2008-2009 school year because most instances of truancy and delinquency arise in the second part of the school year based upon past experience.
Matt

Are there any reasons giving to this?
Cabin fever, bored, grades?

.

Jim,

it's probably that the kids don't miss enough "school" in the first part of the year. I'm sure there's a magic number.

I'm surprised I didn't reach it myself, so I can't help out any further

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Taken from the 2008-2009 student handbook:

CONSEQUENCES FOR TRUANCY
Leaving school without a school release, cutting classes, study halls or homeroom, and failing to properly clear absences are TRUANCY and will result in disciplinary action or other interventions. Appropriate disciplinary measures may range from detentions, to state-mandated loss of driver's license, to recommendation for expulsion.

2008-2009 Student Handbook in pdf

[Gary Rice]

Ivor,

I understand your point of view. As a special needs teacher, I've sided with student issues many times over the course of my career

I would not think of patronizing you for your feelings.

The fact is, that with due process, there are a number of steps generally taken before involving the law in an issue, and even when we do bring the law in, unless there's a serious crime involved, it is juvenile law. That is different from the adult statutes for a very good reason. Kids make mistakes and need a more informal and creative way of having the issues dealt with.

What would be the more damaging lesson? To have a minor clean up a street for skipping school, or to let him get away with truancy feeling that "they won't do nothin' nohow?" It's the nature of young people to test the limits. If they get away with one thing, they can graduate to more serious issues. Idle time can create trouble, and few things are more idle than hanging out all day long.

Running away from school problems solves those problems how exactly?

Having a juvi record can cause a young person to clean up his or her act, and even get a chance to straighten up. Juvi records are not adult records either. There are ways that they can sometimes be dealt with when the minor becomes 18.

There are limitations to what schools or even parents can do to discipline student behavior. There must be clear lines of expected conduct, beyond which, the civil authorities will need to step in. Cut school? There's a price. Become incorrigible at home? There's a price. Do or sell dope? There's a price. Assault another student or staff member? There's a price.

As they say, that's life.

Better to learn about it while they're young.

[Gary Rice]

Oh yeah,

The Blues?

How can a young person learn "The Blues", at least musically, while they're runnin' away from the music teacher?

[Thealexa Becker]

I mean no offense to anyone but....

Again, and I think that Ivor will side with me on this, there are a bunch of adults who have been long removed from high school talking about high schoolers as if there is one sitting right next to them.

Honestly, the attendance system at LHS DOES NOT WORK! I have gotten calls to my house saying I was absent when I was on a field trip. Sometimes secretaries don't get messages from parents calling in their children sick. Are those children going to be penalized for a system error?

And I have to agree with Ivor that there already are truancy rules, why can't the city just enforce those for once instead of resorting to scare tactics by making it seem like they are coming up with something new and worse. They really aren't except now there is the chance that a decent kid will get a misdemeanor on record.

[Gary Rice]

Again...

Enforcement of state statutes involves going downtown...with...

Lot's of extra time and hassle probably being involved....

Can lead to long delay between the offense, and the resolution- and a feeling by the miscreant that they might be "getting away with it" for a longer time period...

Local laws would=local enforcement, and faster, in-Lakewood resolution.

And...yes Ivor, they do provide books, lessons, and teachers in jail.

[Grace O'Malley]

Ahh, Thealexa, wise beyond your years.

But wait, isn't it past your bedtime? Will you be too tired to pay attention in class tomorrow?

Perhaps we need a law telling students to be in bed by 10 or 11PM. If we REALLY cared about student learning and outcomes, we'd need to be concerned about not only whether they are IN school, but if they are paying attention and learning when they are there.

I say, let's legislate bedtimes!

[Gary Rice]

Grace,

I'd probably post something really creative here, but it's past my bedtime.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Thealexa,

Right on.

Gary,

I'd hate to clog up Lakewood's courts with these cases. Regardless, the student will be found guilty, and then by the time they return to school they'll miss so much school that they'll either be expelled or they'll have to re-do the year.

So why take three steps to expulsion or re-doing a year when you can cut it down to one? Well, two steps. Enforcing the rule you have had in place for years, and expelling the student for the year.

We don't need city hall controlling our schools. Schools and government should be separated, just like schools and church.

Take a ride down Franklin at around Noon one weekday and you'll be surprised at how many kids are dodging "Mobile" as we called him. The guy knows everything from the students height to eye color. I'm not kidding. I've seen the system before. We were always petrified of the white "Lakewood City Schools" van. It used to be a gray Jeep with a spotlight and sirens.

I'll be visiting teachers at the high school tomorrow. I will talk to my old attendance lady about this, and my house principal too. They had to deal with me on a daily basis almost. I spent so much time in that office over my four years that I've missed the office now that I've graduated.

Funny how things work!