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Old 03-30-2014, 08:31 AM
 
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It seems to be a growing problem. Where are the parents?

Habitual truancy plagues Western Pa. schools | TribLIVE.
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Old 03-30-2014, 08:37 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
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How much of this problem is just inaccurate information? It looks like more impoverished areas seem to have the highest truancy rates.

How many of the students aren't really "truant", but instead have moved out of the district because their family moved or they moved in with other relatives elsewhere?
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Old 03-30-2014, 08:38 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zman63 View Post
It seems to be a growing problem. Where are the parents?

Habitual truancy plagues Western Pa. schools | TribLIVE.
In most cases it`s parent...singular. But you`re right. Where are they?
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:06 AM
 
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My mom used to take me out for adventures (like a day at the Natural History Museum in NYC) and then lie on notes to my teacher saying that I was sick. She was awesome.
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:06 AM
 
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Pennsylvania defines truancy as three or more unexcused absences in a school year.
This is key. All it takes to not be considered truant is a parent writing a note "X was absent on X day because he/she was ill." I'm speaking from experience of being a mother with a child who often missed over 20 days per year due to illness. Truancy was never an issue because I wrote all the appropriate notes/excuses required.

Obviously the number of parents not writing excuses is on the rise. Since truancy rates are usually in the poor communities, I suspect it might have something to do with welfare reform. Since more impoverished single mothers are working, writing a note is an easy thing to forget with all the other things they have to juggle. I'm not saying it's a bad thing they are working. I'm just saying that I can understand why writing a note isn't a top priority for them.

The single working parent issue applies to the truly truant children who are skipping school too. Low income working single parents can't enforce their children's attendance while they are at work and they can't afford to pay for proper supervision of their older children.

Last edited by Hopes; 03-30-2014 at 09:15 AM..
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:14 AM
 
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Originally Posted by GeneW View Post
My mom used to take me out for adventures (like a day at the Natural History Museum in NYC) and then lie on notes to my teacher saying that I was sick. She was awesome.
I would do that too sometimes. One year we did cyber school and spend the entire winter at the ski resorts. I'm sure it's the main reason my son has a career in the ski industry today. Adventures and enrichment activities are educational because they allow children to explore interests.
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:30 AM
 
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As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:41 AM
 
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I took my girls to the zoo a couple weeks ago. My neighbors were shocked at my total disregard for authority.. There was snow on the ground but it was our best trip to the zoo. Hardly anyone was there, and my 7 year old could actually get to the window to see her favorite animals, the penguins!


"Pennsylvania defines truancy as three or more unexcused absences in a school year."

We are told not to send our kids to school if they have a fever. Im not going to run to the doctor every time my kid gets the sniffles so I can pay a doctor to say 'yup she isn't feeling well', so its unexcused. My youngest spikes a nice fever every time she gets a little bit sick.
She is one of the evil 'truent' kids. We got the form letter about it 2 years running. She also rarely misses a single question on any test, and the youngest kid in the gifted program.

Not saying there aren't problems especially in some school districts but the numbers are not telling the whole story.
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Old 03-30-2014, 10:30 AM
 
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Originally Posted by moslo View Post
I took my girls to the zoo a couple weeks ago. My neighbors were shocked at my total disregard for authority.
When my caregiver's dog was having puppies, I told her she could keep my son home because he'd learn more watching puppies be born than anything he'd learn in school that day. The look on her face was priceless---like a light bulb turned on. Her six children were already at school. It hadn't occurred to her to allow them to stay home for the birth of puppies.

Quote:
Originally Posted by moslo View Post
We are told not to send our kids to school if they have a fever. Im not going to run to the doctor every time my kid gets the sniffles so I can pay a doctor to say 'yup she isn't feeling well', so its unexcused. My youngest spikes a nice fever every time she gets a little bit sick.
She is one of the evil 'truent' kids. We got the form letter about it 2 years running.
School districts accept notes from parents for illness. They only require a doctor's excuse after the absences become excessive. If you had sent sick-notes in for every absence, you wouldn't have gotten the truant-threat letter.
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Old 03-30-2014, 12:37 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes View Post
This is key. All it takes to not be considered truant is a parent writing a note "X was absent on X day because he/she was ill." I'm speaking from experience of being a mother with a child who often missed over 20 days per year due to illness. Truancy was never an issue because I wrote all the appropriate notes/excuses required.
This was addressed somewhat in the article. There was one example where notes were turned in but the secretary for Wilkinsburg SD didn't enter them in to the system. So some of this might be bureaucratic incompetence. Might explain why they just fired their superintendent.
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