Truancy

Failure to attend school regularly without parents' approval.

In the 1990s, truancy has become a serious problem in many communities worldwide. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 80% of those in prison were at one time truants. The percent of juvenile offenders who started as truants is even higher, approaching 95%.

The majority of the states in the United States require that students attend school until at least the age of 16. All states have laws governing compulsory education, and noncompliance results in penalties for the parents) or guardian of the truant student. Obviously, the state's objective is to educate its young people so that they will become capable, employable citizens. Although fines and jail terms for parents are prescribed if truancy becomes chronic, most states provide for mediation and counseling to return the student to school, and many are seeking positive incentives to combine with the penalties.

In the late 1990s, there were more than 51 million students in U. S. public and private schools, and the number was expected to continue to grow at least through 2010. The rising number of students combined with an increase in juvenile crime underline the urgent need for initiatives to keep young people in school, off drugs, and away from weapons and violence. Most experts believe that truancy is the first step toward involvement in crime and violence. For many truant students, feelings of academic inadequacy, peer pressure, chaotic family life, and feelings of hopelessness about future employment prospects lead them to give up on school.

Schools can introduce incentives for attendance and punishments for non-attendance. In 1996, a study conducted by the Rand Corporation evaluated programs designed to divert young people from crime. One of the most effective provided cash and other incentives to induce students to stay in school until graduation. The researchers estimated that incentives and other early intervention programs to keep students in school save enough money (by not having to arrest, process, and incarcerate juvenile offenders) to pay for themselves. In Peoréa, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb, the city prosecutor estimates that it costs about $15,000 per year to house a juvenile delinquent for one year, and the cost of a diversion program is about __BODY__,000 per child. Since the program, which is known as Project AIM (Attendance Is Mandatory), was begun in 1994, truancy has been reduced by 92%. (Prior to initiating the program, 17% of the school population had truancy problems.) The features of Project AIM are: after three unexcused absences, the truant student's parents receive a letter. After five unexcused absences, the truant is referred to the city prosecutor's office and a criminal complaint is filed. The truant and his or her family choose between two options. The first is to pay a $200 fine plus have a police record; the second involves participating in counseling, training, and a support group. Since 1994, 72% of the truants went back to school after the initial letter was sent. The prosecutor reports that gang activity, violent crime by juveniles, and crimes against children diminished after the program was begun.

In July 1996, the U. S. Department of Education, under the direction of then-Secretary Richard Riley, published the Manual to Combat Truancy, and announced the availability of $300,000-$500,000 grants to school districts for programs to address truancy problems. While there are no reliable data on truancy, the Manual to Combat Truancy stated that, in some U.S. cities, truant students number in the thousands on any given school day. It also cited reports from major urban centers. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania schools reported 3,500 students, or 12% of all students were absent on an average school day; 70% of those were unexcused. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, reported 4,000 unexcused absences on an average school day. Miami, Florida, reported that over 70% of 13-16-year-olds prosecuted for crimes were truant.

Communities where anti-truancy programs have been successful use a combination of incentives and sanctions to keep students in school. In the Manual to Combat Truancy, five key points are defined for minimizing truancy. The critical first step is to involve parents in all aspects of truancy prevention. To stop truants, the school must be able to provide parents with notification of their child's absence on the day the absence occurs. Schools are advised to create an efficient attendance-tracking system, and to communicate students' absences to parents immediately.

Second, schools must have firm policies on the consequences for truancy, and all students should be aware of the sanctions that will be imposed if they are absent without an excuse. Some states have found that linking truancy to the student's driver's license or grades effectively reduces unexcused absences. Others have invoked a daytime curfew, allowing police to question any young person not in school during school hours.

Third, parents must take responsibility for keeping their children in school. Most state laws impose fines or jail terms on parents of truants. Alternatively, some states are investigating ways to use incentives. Maryland and Oklahoma, for example, have found that linking eligibility for public assistance to truancy can be an effective way to capture parents' interest in keeping their children in school. Another positive incentive provides increased eligibility for services to families whose children attend school regularly. Many communities also offer effective parenting courses and family counseling.

Fourth, the vigil to eliminate causes of truancy must be ongoing. The root causes of truancy are complex and varied, and can include drug use, membership in a peer group of truants, lack of direction in education or work, poor academic performance, and violence at or near school. By analyzing the reasons students are truant, the school administration may be able to correct or improve the problem and reduce truancy. For example, if students stay away from school because of inadequate academic skills, special tutoring programs may be initiated. If students have concerns about violence near the school, the administration may request increased security from the police for the surrounding neighborhood. Local business can be enlisted to support school-to-work programs to help students make the transition to employment.

Finally, a close link with law enforcement, juvenile court, and family court officials may lead to creative solutions for truancy. Some communities have authorized the police to patrol neighborhoods where truant youth are likely to be spend the school hours. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, police take the truant youth to a Boys and Girls Club center for counseling. In New Haven, Connecticut, the Stay-in-School program targets middle school students who have just begun to have problems. Youth and attorney mentors are assigned to each student for support, with accountability to a truancy court.

Government programs will continue to provide support to communities to combat truancy. Local school administrations, law enforcement, and family services agencies can learn from the experiences of other communities in designing their own program to keep students in school.

Truancy

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