absent/truant frustration

[Tara]

Do any elementary schools have policies for truancy? From what I gather in Illinois, the school can't really do anything about a kid being regularly absent. When I was growing up, I know it was different. Doctor notes were required and a certain number of absences meant you had to repeat the grade, but perhaps things have changed.

I have a student that is never here. (He actually lives in another district, but found a loophole to "attend" our school - but that is another issue entirely) He has an IEP so we aren't allowed to fail him or hold him back, but I look bad because he isn't making any of his goals. The poor kid is always lost and frustrated and of course he is. How is he expected to maintain his grade level performance when he is never here to learn the material? It would be one thing if he were actually sick (I don't think he has been sick for 6 of the last 10 Fridays. And since when does a broken bone justify missing a week and a half of school when he is supposed to live a block away from school?). But when you are "sick" at least once a week but never even sniffle the day before or after your absence? Come on.

I just don't understand his teachers are held accountable for his progress on IEP and state tests, when his parents and him aren't held accountable for showing up to school.

Ok sorry for the rant. I just wondered if anyone has any experience with this.

[Kyoko]

State of PA has a Basic Education Circular that states, if a student has more than 3 unexcused absences, he/she is considered habitually truant. Then, we have to send out 3 warning letters, meeting with parents, and if it continues, parents will be cited for truancy, and/or get referred to Children, Youth and Family - Child protective agency.
But still, it is a really time consuming and lengthily process, and by the time we finally get citation phase, the school is almost over... And porr kids are missing out.
Our district used to automatecally fail the students who missed so many day of school, but they took that policy out....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

In California there is a ruling about attendance - I don't know what the number of days is however and I don't think it is applied. Even students with and IEP have the "right to fail" as my Program Specialist says. Retention is an IEP team decision and we must meet and answer certain questions. We can also refuse to renew a transfer, however if a student is homeless we cannot refuse them.

[Cindy and Mandy]

I could have sworn you were talking about one of my students in the 6th grade (but he doesn't have an IEP). This kid has over 18 pages of absences and mom knows how to play the system very well. His grade point is 0.45 and yelp he will be passed!! In our state parents have the final say and I don't see mom holding him back a grade. He is always lost and causes a lot of problems when he is there, wants kicked out and works hard to get it. He has been gone weeks now with "principal approval" because mom wanted to keep him home and not get in trouble, He still has to do the work and naturally nothing comes in from mom, so he is getting F's. It is really sad and we have all worried more about his education than he or his mother does. We used to have a truant individual at our school but this year we don't, and getting this one there would be difficult since mom has a ton of excuses and for some reason our admin isn't doing much.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

In California parents have the final say on retentions only for kinders. What some parents will do to prevent retention is move and register them in the next grade.

[Tara]

So my student showed up again Monday, just in time for the end of the year party. According to the last contact with his mom, he had "a broken growth plate" whatever that means, and couldn't maneuver well enough to come to school for two week. On Monday he shows up walking up the stairs perfectly fine, no cast, no brace, no crutches, and is all excited about how he walked in a parade over the weekend and went to the town carnival. Grrr No time for him to make up any work to count towards report cards, but I made him work all afternoon anyways. It's so hard to not be frustrated with him, even though I know his mom is to blame for attendance, not him. Two more days until summer!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

A break in the growth plate is serious - a broken bone that has broken in the growth plate could result in a problem as the kid grows. If he was walking around, he did not have a broken anything. My son "shattered" his elbow at age 8. The break was in the growth plate and there was a concern that his arm wouldn't grow properly. That is how I know. His arm did grow fine, by the way, however they couldn't align it quite perfectly so he can't touch his shoulder with his fingers. No prob - he is an athlete anyway.
I would not have let the student join in the party. I would have sent him to another room or the office or library. He didn't earn the party and I would have been very pushy about that with anyone who questioned my decision.