Every year, truancy costs California schools $1.4 billion and can lead to school dropouts, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Three or more unexcused absences amount to truancy in terms of the law. A recent report by the Attorney General shows Inyo County has the second lowest truancy rate in the State with 5.1%. Mono County is listed at 26.7%. Local Mono officials believe that number is too high.
Inyo Superintendent of Schools Terry McAteer said that Inyo’s low rate comes as a result of some hard work. Inyo has a policy in place that involves the courts, Probation and the District Attorney. McAteer explained that if a student shows “an excessive pattern of tardies, absences or cuts, the school meets with the student and their parents to resolve the issues.”
If that method fails, the parents and student are summoned to the courthouse for a Student Attendance Review Board hearing. Judge Dean Stout appointed McAteer and Probation Chief Jeff Thomson to serve on that Board. The District Attorney sends a letter, which is delivered by a Sheriff’s Deputy, summoning the family to a hearing at the courthouse. The Board listens to the school and the family and then makes a ruling or contractual agreement which binds the student to attend school.
School attendance is legally required and truancy violates California law. If elementary students violate their contract, their parents are fined up to $400 per violation. According to Superintendent McAteer, if a high school student violates an attendance contract, the Student Attendance Review Board “petitions the court to suspend or withhold the student’s driver’s license for a year.” If there is continued violation, the license may be withheld up to age 22. This is according to State law.
Superintendent McAteer said with this system in effect over the past five years, Inyo has seen schools be more proactive with truancy and the problem has dwindled. McAteer said over 85% of the cases the Board hears, which is about 40 per year, abide by the Board ruling and tardiness and absences go away.
According to the Attorney General’s report on truancy, Mono County has a 26.7% truancy rate. Officials are at work to correct problems. According to Mono District Attorney Tim Kendall, the Student Attendance Review Board meets every month to address truancy or behavioral problems at school. DA Kendall said officials from Eastern Sierra Unified School District, Mammoth School District, Public Health, Behavioral Health, Social Services, Probation, Sheriff, Police Department and DA are involved with the review board. He said the DA plays an integral part because family and/ or students may face charges under the Education Code.
Kendall said the goal is to ensure success. Families and the review board agree to a contract of action. Services to achieve the goal may include a number of things – from calling students every morning, addressing transportation issues or providing medical services. For those who fail to follow guidelines, sanctions can be imposed.
If students and parents fail to follow agreed on conditions, they may be referred to the Probation Department for more conditions, including counseling. If failure continues, the family is referred to the District Attorney where parents could face a criminal complaint or placement in a juvenile hall or group home.
DA Kendall and the co-ordinator of the Mono Review Board, Eastern Sierra Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Don Clark, both said the Attorney General’s truancy figures for Mono County seem too high for the real situation. Kendall said the County takes truancy very seriously and are “pretty much on top of it.”
I think I have once again demonstrated a fundamental American social network mechanism. If you see something wrong or broken, pretend you don’t see it and don’t say anything about it lest you be blamed for it and berated to fix it. Just play dumb and spare yourself the wrath… Read more »
If it isn’t broken to begin with – don’t fix it.
I believe school is not designed for everyone. They should have more job training classes for the large amount of local students who either know they can’t get into college ,or can’t afford it. Some people suck at math and english no matter how much you shove it down their… Read more »
Exactly Trouble. Actually, many people suck at the core academic skills that are necessary for a college degree. I know I do. I barely made it through my college education. When I was in high school, vocational training was just part of the broader curriculum. We had wood shop, metal… Read more »
John said the samething as Trouble about more vocational, aka job training classes. However, kids should leave school knowing how to balance a checkbook and write a complete sentence. I hated math and wasn’t good at it but I stuck it out with encouragement from my parents and am glad… Read more »
“Ken- So, based on your logic,….” No, that’s your own inflammatory rhetoric. Many kids do emerge from school with the education you outlined. I saw many of them in college. 16 and 17 year olds who were brilliant. Walk around Mammoth Lakes and you will see a bunch of kids… Read more »
What’s your solution to the kids who can barely make whole sentences? Tell them, it’s ok, the government will take care of you and your offspring? There are checks and balances in place called special ed classes which removes them from the “normal” classroom setting so that they aren’t “allowed… Read more »
Looks like you already know what to do so why are you barking at me?
I seem to have insulted your very sensitive feelings by asking questions and making statements of fact and opinion just as you have done. The difference is I don’t take discussions on websites personally.
And the social polarization continues –
Under performing kids can be pushed to perform and their parents can be pushed to care about their children’s performance. Your objections to the time and effort necessary to do so are miniscule when compared to the effects on productivity and overall standard of living all of us enjoy when… Read more »
Hmmm. That’s funny … When I walk around Mammoth, I see a bunch of kids who are bilingual. How many languages do YOU speak, Ken?
Then there is the real hard, cold fact that there are too many people (and more due next year) and not enough good-paying jobs.
And it’s not going to get better. Anybody who doesn’t take high school seriously is making a huge mistake. And they should not be allowed to disrupt the education of others who know that their education is the only thing that will get them a decent standard of living. There… Read more »
Ken- So, based on your logic, a kid should be encouraged to eat junk food because they don’t like healthy food, they shouldn’t have to brush their teeth because it’s too inconvenient, or encouraged to not wear a helmet riding a skateboard because it might mess up their hair? To… Read more »
This is very interesting…I had 3 Hispanic High School students try to kick in my front door about 3 years ago. I was home at the time and immediately contacted 911. Office Scobey arrived about 25 minutes after the call with another Officer (anyone could of been killed in 25… Read more »
I have looked into the circumstances of the Attempted Burglary described by “Bobby Joe” and would like to provide some clarification. Bobby Joe is not his true name, but I will honor his use of an anonymous screen name as so many do on this website. I have reviewed the… Read more »
I also have had to learn the hard way that dialing 911 on a cell phone sends the call to the CHP. People, do yourself a BIG favor and put your local PD’s dispatch phone number in your phone… it’s a big time saver when seconds might make the difference.… Read more »
Now I say it for the third time this year “Right To Carry”.
Sheesh, what is happening to our little piece of heaven?
There’s 38 thousand concealed weapons being carried in Montana
I remember not wanting to go to school one day. My dad said I could ditch but I had to go to work with him at his construction job. It sucked worse than school, it rained, I had to move all kinds of lumber, everybody yelling at me and throwing… Read more »
wow,these kids that are not attending class are breaking into your homes while your at work,the parents are the ones who need to get their kids on the bus,stupid people raise stupid kids
Parents not stupid in my case. My parents were both doctors, they were too busy to keep after me. I ditched school because I didn’t fit into the program and got lots of the thumbs downs from other kids. Also, my aptitude wasn’t reading and arithmetic, it was mechanical. I’ve… Read more »
[sigh] Here I go again… I think that truancy should be encouraged. If you force kids to go to school when they don’t want to, they will only disrupt the classes and other students. They may hold back students who really want to learn. Best to get rid of the… Read more »
Enough of these progressive ideas. What about our freedom? How can the government force our children to go to school against their will. This is a slippery slope. Next thing you know we’ll be giving money to old people to live on when the stop working and food to poor… Read more »
RandyK….If you are refering to money given to “old people” to live on,it’s called Social Security…..something people pay into all their lives on their paychecks.And for the food to poor people so they,and their kids can eat,luckily,there are programs and many people ready,willing and able to donate so some people… Read more »
I should have added a winky face to my prior post. I was attempting to use sarcasm to make a political point. I believe universal education was one of the early progressive policies in our progressive nation and has made us all better off. Same with social security and food… Read more »