It’s not fun. They have better things to do. They’d rather be
drinking or taking drugs. Their parents don’t make them. They have
to work.
There is a variety of reasons why young people do not go to
school, but most officials agree on one thing
– they should attend or they are traveling down a road filled
with struggles.
It’s not fun. They have better things to do. They’d rather be drinking or taking drugs. Their parents don’t make them. They have to work.
There is a variety of reasons why young people do not go to school, but most officials agree on one thing – they should attend or they are traveling down a road filled with struggles.
Not only is school attendance mandated by the State of California, but punishments can reach all the way to prosecution of students or their parents.
While some students feel they do not need to attend school, educators said students who habitually miss school – truants – are missing out on education vital to their future and the future of society.
While the rate of truancy in San Benito County is small, it still means there are young people not getting an education.
“Attendance is the most important thing we can do,” county Superintendent Tim Foley. “If they’re not there, they’re not getting educated.”
Educators said the most common cause of truancy is the lack of emphasis placed on an education by a student and their family members, and many children are growing up believing an education is not important.
“School is not the No. 1 priority,” Foley said. “I would like to see every family look at a child’s education as their No. 1 priority.”
Also, falling behind in class work is attributed to truancy.
Foley said the more a student misses in school, the harder it is to catch up, which leads to a repetitious cycle.
Other circumstances that can increase truant behavior are peer pressure, problems within a student’s family, lack of parental control of a child, abandonment by parents and lack of motivation.
San Benito High School math teacher Dennis DeWall said the cause of truancy is three-fold. He said the attitude of the student, the family background and the education system combine to lead to truancy.
“We need to look at, ‘Are we meeting the needs of all our students or just the needs of the students going to college,'” DeWall said. “Twenty-one percent of our students are going to college, what are we doing with the other 79 percent.”
DeWall has taught at SBHS for 16 years and has been in education for 28 years, and has taught classes from Math Proficiency to Algebra IIA. When he taught Math Proficiency, he said it felt like mass confusion because each student was at a different level and they each needed individualized help.
Why truancy is a problem
Missing school can be destructive to the truant. The county’s Chief Probation Officer Deborah Botts said truancy leads to an increase in self-abuse, including substance abuse.
“All these kids end up doing is staying home getting high,” Botts said.
While truancy is harmful to those committing it, it can also be distracting to other students and teachers.
“(Missing school) affects not only themselves because they miss what’s taught, demonstrated and discussed in class,” DeWall said. “The book is a good resource, but they miss the discussion by not being in class. They miss other people’s opinions and different ways of doing things.”
DeWall said truancy hurts the entire class when a student who has missed class is asking questions about things they were not present for and the other students are being held back, he said.
There’s also the effect of truancy on a community.
Incoming District Attorney John Sarsfield said there is a link between truancy rates and daytime juvenile crime rates, especially residential burglary.
“As a society, it’s out job to educate children, make sure they’re not left at home wondering the streets,” he said.
Ways of curbing and punishing truancy
Each county in California has a School Attendance Review Board, or SARB.
When school officials notice a student not in attendance regularly, parents are notified. If the problem persists, the student and their parents are referred to the district’s SARB. SBHS developed its own SARB two years ago.
An attendance contract with the district’s SARB is signed by the parents and student. If an attendance problem continues, the student will be transferred to an alternative school. If the problem persists, the student and parents are referred to the county district attorney’s office for prosecution.
Although prosecution is a scary reality, it is the last measure pursued by educators, the probation department and the district attorney’s office.
“It’s the last resort,” Sarsfield said. “Prosecution is the only thing we have left.”
With its own SARB, SBHS has its own attendance procedure. At Level One, a call is made to the student‚ parents and the student’s attendance is monitored weekly. Students are allowed one absence a month, no unexcused absences and no more than three tardies.
A final truancy contract is issued at Level Two. Attendance is still monitored weekly and no absences are allowed without a doctor’s note. At Level Three, parents and students are called to the monthly SARB meeting. Parents can choose to place their child in an alternative school program or the student can take part in the school’s six-week, on-site opportunity school.
An agreement is signed by parents and the student regarding attendance, behavior and academics – all three are monitored weekly.
At Level Four, the student can return to regular classes after the six-week period at the on-site school and he or she is monitored bi-weekly. If the student still misses school, they are taken to Level Five – referral to the Alternative School Placement Committee and possible referral to the county district attorney.
The on-site opportunity school at SBHS is a one-time stop, an attempt to alter truant behavior before the student is removed from the school permanently and enrolled in an opportunity school, said Karen Larsen, SBHS vice principal of student management.
When enrolled in the on-site opportunity school, students are taken away from distractions. The class starts at 9 a.m., so brunch and lunch are staggered from the rest of campus. Class is over at 3:05 p.m.
The class instructor collects work the students are missing in their classes and helps them complete it during the course of the day. This way the administration is trying to change students’ past ways and help them from falling behind in class work, Larsen said.
“They have no contact with other students on campus,” she said. “They concentrate on their studies and coming to school. This is a better path then ignoring them and leaving them out on the street.”
The on-site opportunity school began this fall and currently has around 10 students enrolled.
Catching it early
While truancy can be more common in older students, it also occurs in elementary school-aged student.
The probation department and the county office of education work together to identify truancy early. If identified and corrected in elementary school, students do not fall behind in academics and the risk of them feeling left behind in high school decreases.
Botts said she would like to see the probation department receive a grant to target truancy in middle schools.
Foley said he has seen more and more elementary schools participating in tackling truancy.
“It’s so easy for kids to fall behind. It’s very refreshing to see elementary schools participate before students fall out,” Foley said. “We can have the problem identified early. San Benito County is still small.”
DA-elect to tackle truancy issues
When District Attorney elect John Sarsfield takes office in January, one of his focal points will be enforcing penalties against students who do not attend school.
“Truancy enforcement is important for two reasons,” Sarsfield said. “One, there is a decrease in juvenile crime rates, especially residential burglary (with enforcement). Second, as a society, it’s our job to educate children, to make sure they’re not left at home wondering the streets.”
Sarsfield is credited with helping develop a truancy program in Monterey County and he wants to work with the San Benito County Probation Department in strengthening and expanding its truancy program.
“I can’t wait for Sarsfield to get here,” said Deborah Botts, chief probation officer. “Truancy is a huge problem in the county.”
One avenue used to combat truancy is the county’s School Attendance Review Board. While the SARB program is an alternative to district attorney mediation, Sarsfield said there has not been sufficient follow-up on some cases by SARB.
In addition to the SARB, the district attorney’s office also works with the county office of education and the probation department.
When a school is having a problem getting a student to attend school, the case may be referred to the probation department which may lead to visits to a truant student’s home.
While some may think the department is overstepping its bounds, Botts said involvement is necessary.
“We absolutely need to be involved,” she said. “It’s our job to help kids who are out of control.”
Botts said truancy ensures future failure in children. It can lead to dropouts who may have literacy and sobriety issues, she said. It can also lead to the use of alcohol and drugs and an increase in crime.
“When they spend six hours at school, we know they’re not abusing themselves,” Botts said. “The No. 1 crime prevention program is keeping kids in school.”
While Sarsfield will have the power to prosecute parents or students to stop truancy, he said it is the choice of last resort.
“We bend over backward to get kids back into school voluntarily,” he said. “We only do it (prosecute) when there is no good faith being shown.”
Prosecution involves court orders which “allow the court to order parents to provide an education or enroll their children in a public school,” Sarsfield said.
If this does not work, parents or students can be held in contempt of court. Monetary fines can also be filed against parents whose child is not attending school.
“The idea is not to punish, but to get children back into school,” he said.
If students are older and their parents don’t have as much control over them, usually at the age of high school, they can be prosecuted. But, Sarsfield said other consequences can work before prosecution is necessary.
“Consequences like the loss of driving privileges usually get their attention,” he said.
Sarsfield emphasizes that truancy enforcement doesn’t mean parents can’t home school their children. The issue is not that parents are not sending their kids to school, but that they are failing to educate their children, he said.
-Michelle Hatfield
