Parents summoned by prosecutors to attend truancy meeting don't show up

[StrBrite]

Now I agree that parents have a definite part in the punishment and the correct up bringing of their children.

However, I do feel that parents should not be held legally responsible for children that are not going to school unless it is a parent that is home and not working, is aware of the child not attending school and is what I call a couch potato mother or father.

But I worked when my kids were in high school ( the age this usually goes on for teens) and I had no other choice (so that I could put food on the table and a roof over their heads).
I for one never stood for skipping school or not doing homework. I actually went into school told the principle to give my son detention so that he would do homework he seemed to never have time to do when he got home after school (out playing with his friends instead).
Well, the principle actually complimented me and Josh actually had detention for 2 weeks and from that day on always did his homework. I felt bad but like I told him and his sister I am their parent first and not their friend and when they are older that is when the friendship will develop.

I think that in some cases the parents that are lazy and know about this behavior and are also home and do nothing to try to correct the behavior should be held responsible for condoning it.

But those parents that work, seek help and try everything and anything to correct it should not be charged with the contributing to a minors bad behavior.
Each case should be reviewed, every family has different ways or things going on and this should most definitly be a factor in whether a parent should be charged with neglect of raising a child in todays society.

Our funtion as parents is to see that our children grow to be an asset to society with the skills and tools to live a meaningful and productive life.

Without education they are in for a hard and sometimes tragic future.

Well now that I rambled on here is the article, what do you think?



Updated March 17, 2005, 10:29 a.m. ET
Parents summoned by prosecutors to attend truancy meeting don't show up



KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Prosecutors summoned parents of repeatedly truant children to attend a meeting about the law concerning excessive absences. About 40 percent of the adults didn't show up.

Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols mailed letters about the Tuesday evening meeting to 582 parents, but 241 were absent.

State law allows prosecutors to hold parents accountable for their children's school absences. Knox County in February arrested 19 parents whose children had 10 or more unexcused absences from school. Parents found guilty can be punished by a year in jail. "We have only just begun," Nichols said. "We mean this. I don't know how else to say it. You're going to send your child to school."

Story continuesCecelia Donaldson, who received a letter about her 5-year-old grandson's absences, went to the school where the meeting was held but refused to enter the auditorium.

She said her grandson has asthma and other medical problems.

"I don't want to hear what Randy Nichols has to say," she said. "He needs to call my house when (my grandson is) up at 3 in the morning throwing up everything he ate."








Also as far as a 5 year old not attending school it is the parents fault in that case
If this 5 year old is that ill then a doctors note should be provided and most towns do have tutors that will go to the home to teach the student. That is what I recieved when I was in a terrible car accident in high school.

But this also could be a over protective, my poor baby grandma ( there are alot of those) so without a doctors note stating that the asthma is an actual handicap and if this is not the case then granny needs to stop babying and start sending the child to school, even 5 years olds know how to get their way if they want it bad enough sometimes with a grandma.

[Caldric]

I grew up in Tennessee and their truancy laws are some of the most ass backwards in the entire nation or perhaps it is just that they enforce it to the extreme. Education system is not much better there.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by StrBrite

However, I do feel that parents should not be held legally responsible for children that are not going to school unless it is a parent that is home and not working, is aware of the child not attending school and is what I call a couch potato mother or father.

I think we disagree here, Carol. If parents are not legally responsible for their kids, then who is? It takes parent involvement to get kids to do their part with school, and my experience is that too many parents don't do their share. It's hard being a single mother, but too many of the ones I dealt with were so involved with their boyfriends that they didn't devote the time to their kids. Working/staying home .... it all depends on whether or not the parents have taken the time to be involved and to set limits and also to establish just who is in charge.

I for one never stood for skipping school or not doing homework. I actually went into school told the principle to give my son detention so that he would do homework he seemed to never have time to do when he got home after school (out playing with his friends instead).
Well, the principle actually complimented me and Josh actually had detention for 2 weeks and from that day on always did his homework. I felt bad but like I told him and his sister I am their parent first and not their friend and when they are older that is when the friendship will develop.

There you have it. You worked and yet you kept involved. You found a way to get Josh to do his homework. There are parents however who used working as an excuse to wash their hands of parenthood. Like it or not, these are their kids and they are responsible.

Each case should be reviewed, every family has different ways or things going on and this should most definitly be a factor in whether a parent should be charged with neglect of raising a child in todays society.

There are some kids who are just out of control and even good parents cannot do a thing with them. Most, IMO, are kids that have been denied discipline, teaching about boundaries etc by neglectful parents. The parents could even have been loving parents, but they still handicapped their kids.

Our funtion as parents is to see that our children grow to be an asset to society with the skills and tools to live a meaningful and productive life.

It is, but you would be surprised at the kids who do not get what they need from home because of self-involved parents. I had six bedrooms in my house and I always had one of the kids friends staying over, sometimes for months (one stayed almost two years) because the parents were 'too busy' playing golf, partying etc.

Prosecutors summoned parents of repeatedly truant children to attend a meeting about the law concerning excessive absences. About 40 percent of the adults didn't show up.

"Repeatedly" is the key here.

State law allows prosecutors to hold parents accountable for their children's school absences. Knox County in February arrested 19 parents whose children had 10 or more unexcused absences from school. Parents found guilty can be punished by a year in jail. "We have only just begun," Nichols said. "We mean this. I don't know how else to say it. You're going to send your child to school."

It is about time that parents were held accountable for the kids they chose to have. Society cannot raise them, discipline them, teach them limits etc. Only the parents can do that.

Donaldson, who received a letter about her 5-year-old grandson's absences, went to the school where the meeting was held but refused to enter the auditorium.[/center]

She said her grandson has asthma and other medical problems.

"I don't want to hear what Randy Nichols has to say," she said. "He needs to call my house when (my grandson is) up at 3 in the morning throwing up everything he ate."

Refused to enter? How stupid and attention getting is that? Something is not right here. If he has all of these medical problems, then a simple note from the doctor would suffice.

If this 5 year old is that ill then a doctors note should be provided and most towns do have tutors that will go to the home to teach the student.

That is still done.

But this also could be a over protective, my poor baby grandma ( there are alot of those) so without a doctors note stating that the asthma is an actual handicap and if this is not the case then granny needs to stop babying and start sending the child to school, even 5 years olds know how to get their way if they want it bad enough sometimes with a grandma.

That was my thought there. I got the impression that Granny is raising him, since she got the letter and not a parent. Since Granny hasn't figured out that she is harming this child, then she needs to be held accountable for him being absent from school.

Finally, a school district that has a real stick to use! This will only help those students who will go nowhere in life without an education.

[StrBrite]

Originally Posted by Woodmonkey

I think we disagree here, Carol. If parents are not legally responsible for their kids, then who is? It takes parent involvement to get kids to do their part with school, and my experience is that too many parents don't do their share. It's hard being a single mother, but too many of the ones I dealt with were so involved with their boyfriends that they didn't devote the time to their kids. Working/staying home .... it all depends on whether or not the parents have taken the time to be involved and to set limits and also to establish just who is in charge.
.

Katie it to me sounds like we are on the same page, maybe I did not put the first paragraph in the correct context.
Let me see, ok, parents that do not parent their children and have fun instead and ignore their parental duties should definitly be held responsible.
thats is why for parents that do try and do all that they can (mostly as you mentioned single parents which i was) need also help sometimes from friends and the community. I had the support of my childs school and teachers and met with them regularly to keep my kids on the right page. The school really helped me and parents also need to know how to ask for that help.
Parents that drink, party, go out all the time, ignore kids.... heck act like teenagers themself should most definitly be held responsible and I even call it neglect and think they should be charged with such.

Neglect is the act of causing harm to a child: well, no education and no direction from a selfish and ignorant parent will harm a child for many years to come and possibly for ever.

[BrianK]

Originally Posted by Woodmonkey

That was my thought there. I got the impression that Granny is raising him, since she got the letter and not a parent. Since Granny hasn't figured out that she is harming this child, then she needs to be held accountable for him being absent from school.

That was the take on this that I had too. Granny raising the child. Given grannys attitude at the auditorium it kind of makes me wonder if her original way of raising children isn't responsible for what is taking place now.

Since the parents aren't mentioned and there is no information they could be dead as well as alive and irresponsible. Speculating on the origin of irresponsibility is all that I can do without info.

This does remind me of a film concerning VD I saw when I 1st. joined the Navy. One woman gave it to a man. That man gave it to another woman. That continued on until a significant amount of people were infected.

With 1/2 of the parents not caring enough to assure their childs educations that has the same potential for ignorance and irresponisibilty to spread like the example of VD. I applaud the school district for wanting to stop a plague of ignorance before it spreads.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by StrBrite

Let me see, ok, parents that do not parent their children and have fun instead and ignore their parental duties should definitly be held responsible.

Yes, we are on the same page here. I'm willing to bet that parents who are struggling with rebellious kids were not taken to court because they were not negligent, but involved and trying to straighten things out.