By Pete Kendall/reporter@trcle.com
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School truancy laws are set in stone, mandated by the state of Texas.
If a child misses three days of class in a four-week period, or 10 classes in a six-month period, he or she is truant.
The law requires parents to monitor their child’s attendance. The parents can be found in violation of truancy laws just as much as the child.
The punishment for the school is almost as severe as it is for the student and parent. If the student is not in class, the district can lose money it receives from the state for average daily attendance. And if the student misses so much school time that he or she fails to graduate, the district’s completion rate suffers.
All it takes for a district to be declared unsatisfactory by the state is a subpar completion rate.
Cleburne ISD is quietly promoting a program that encourages students to attend school by allotting them such items as clothing to make their school experience more palatable.
“We had a girl who graduated last year who was missing two or three days of class a week,” said Terry Wade, Cleburne ISD attendance director. “I called her in and asked what the problem was. She said she was working 55 hours a week [at a fast food restaurant], that she was her family’s only income, that her dad was sick and she was supporting her brother.
“We investigated the situation. Their residence had no electricity or running water. They were sleeping on mattresses on the floor.”
Wade said KD’s Land. Co. donated a new trailer. Furniture, clothes and food were collected to ease the family’s plight.
“That girl is now going to Hill College,” Wade said.
Wade, a former teacher and coach, refers to himself as part social worker. It’s truly part of the job.
“Most parents want their child to get a good education,” he said, “and that’s our objective. That’s the objective of every district. Most of the time, the parents of high school students want their kids to attend school. They simply may not know if they’re attending. The child is 15 to 17, driving or riding with friends who drive. They’re just not reporting to school, but it’s not normally an issue of the parent contributing to the truancy, as it might be in elementary school and junior high.”
Cleburne ISD takes punitive action against students and parents in rare cases, Wade said.
It also rewards good attendance.
“The good citizens of Cleburne donate sums of money that we use to honor perfect attendance,” Wade said. “One student receives a major gift. The others receive gift cards. We started that program last year, and it’s been enhanced this year under Dr. Miller [interim superintendent Tim Miller]. He’s allowing me to use these incentives.”
Far from being rewarded, Wade added, some students just need help.
“They want to come to school, but they’re in transition. They don’t have school clothes. They’re sleeping in their car or in the park. That’s a process we deal with on a daily basis. Our school district does. It takes a large sum of money to address those needs. We’ve already spent $4,000 through six school days. I’m projecting it will take $60,000 this year that will be donated by citizens and businesses to kids in crisis.
“We use pantries and churches and organizations. They can address the food issue. But they may not have clothing that will fit these teenagers. I’ve used businesses to provide homes to children in transition. That in itself improves attendance. When they come to school, they can be successful. We have great teachers. When the kids are in class, they’re going to produce. We need to use every means to keep that kid in school.”
Wade said he has no desire to punish students for truancy.
“We get a lot of satisfaction helping students. We do it because we love them. It involves a lot of people. We have the support of the administration. The trustees are aware of the program. It’s growing every week. There are probably 20 businesses and numerous individuals contributing. Many want to remain anonymous.”
Attendance laws prevent the school from giving credit to a student who misses more than 10 percent of the days the class is offered.
Districts are taking the laws more seriously as the years past.
“We’re addressing issues and being more strict,” Wade said. “The state requires us to be in compliance, and we are. We’re a little more restrictive as far as 18-year-olds than we have been. Now, they’re required to comply.”
Kids who are still stubborn about attending school should look down the road to understanding the importance of daily classes.
“Attendance becomes part of the permanent transcript,” Wade said. “Prospective employers are going to see it. They don’t want to invest in a kid who didn’t come to school. That’s a major consideration for employers and vocational schools.”
