This is a resource officer, we have them here in Indiana as well. Here they only really show up at larger schools and are doing double duty as a security officer/truancy officer who also directs traffic and dismissal after school hours to ensure that students make it home safely. The schools around my area also have guidelines for students up through middle school (8th grade I believe) who do not ride a school bus. These guideline determine who can pick them up and if they can walk home. We also have rules (at my daughters school at least) that determine picking up the child at the end of the day. Nothing here says that you cant walk to get your child but that they are released in batches and you have to wait for them to be released to pick them up. All of this seems reasonable to me as i would rather have my daughters safety ensured than have something overlooked in the confusion and find out my daughter went home with a complete stranger because the school didn't follow policy. I would not want my child to go to a school that makes any effort to avoid responsibility of my child without making an effort to ensure their safety

I'll show you some fucked up pictures of the continuation school right by my house. "TRUANCY ENFORCEMENT" sign plasted across the front. Reeeaaaallllyyyyy gives me hope for the future of education in this forsaken land.

Maybe it's just me, but a lot of people REALLY do not know the faintest concepts that they're claiming to be against or for.

Socialism IS NOT the same as Democracy. Where the hell did you ever get this idea? "If government = entire society to you, congratulations, you're a socialist. I'm not."

Socialism is the idea that the means of PRODUCTION is owned by the people, as opposed to Communism, where the means of production is owned by the State. The ideas developed by Marx, and can be seen widely today in protests, activism, and the Occupy Movement, is that once the Rich have become too rich, the Poor will revolt. You're seeing exactly what Marx feared would happen starting to happen today.

Government is not the entity that simply collects taxes and offers services. No wonder you have such a misconstrued idea of what things are. Government is a natural process in which communities help reduce the threats of of Nature and other states. Without them, well, history will show you very nicely what happens to those without strong governments. But then again, the fact that you don't know, is probably why you have such a skewed belief on what socialism, democracy, communism, free-market etc are.

If you have an issue with the efficacy of government, maybe you should follow the money, not the reason why government exists. Better yet, maybe you should take a look at why the founders wanted most of government to be slow and lumbering. Which again, this would be what Marx was warning against as well. The elimination of the Worker and the Producer cohabiting in the same environment.

You complain that most programs can be "disposable" (although, unless you really meant the wrong word) is actually a long drawn out response from the defunding and forced failure of programs so that those with deep pockets can clamor for "privatization". And yet, almost every case of a public service being privatized ends in either total failure, or a lucrative money making machine with no benefit to the people. For instance, the prisons that jail high school kids, extends their sentences for years, all over a minor truancy case. Why? It's easier to keep a A student in jail and have them behave than psychotic murderers. And since you get paid the same, why would you go through the expense of keeping a difficult and violent person when you can keep the cheaper to maintain one? It's all about the bottom line . . .

Anyway, I'm already at a wall of text here. Simply put, the majority of the people bitching on here are obviously oblivious to reality and are complete dumbasses spewing the same nonsensical rhetoric with their 5th grade education. So long as the majority fails to read at a 10th grade level and continue to worship violence and abhor the educated, they will continue to be sucked dry by the rich.

To reduce truancy by elimination, I guess.

I'm a teacher and I've never, EVER heard of someone being jailed for truancy. Must be a Texas thang...

>> ^seltar:

"She had broken a Texan law that makes it a crime to miss more than 10 days of school in a six month period, according to local news
When she recently missed classes again, he issued a summons and had her arrested in open court when she appeared." - src
So yeah, that judge is an Asshat for what he did, but the fact there is a law for missing school in Texas is even worse.


Yep, that's Texas for you. Home of the small braingovernment crowd.

I think they can suspend you now too but that sort of defeats the purpose if you ask me doesn't it? But the rules have changed a lot since I went to school here is Texas and that was only 13 years ago.
>> ^MilkmanDan:

>> ^Auger8:
Public schools aren't allowed to expel someone for truancy, they can fail you but not expel you. Not on that fact alone and I say as long as she was turning her work in who cares if she was there or not. When I went to school I regularly missed 20-30 days a year due to a chronic illness but I always did my work my parents would pick up my make up work I completed it and I never failed a single grade and had honors classes in junior high and high school.
I didn't know that schools can't expel you for truancy -- good to know. Can they suspend you?
I think there are times when actually attending class is pretty important to providing a valid assessment/grade for a student, and teachers/schools do need to be able to fail a student that isn't showing up. Lab classes and other situations where you can't just do an assignment on your own time and have it graded equivalently to a student who is actually there, for example. Most of the time that probably isn't something that they should do, but in general I think that the teacher's and school's discretion is important.
I definitely agree that if she is turning in her work and measuring up to the standards of her teachers and the general school guidelines, I don't care how many days she misses. Still, I think that it is reasonable for her to have to "lobby her case" to her teachers and administration. Just not a judge. School handing out whatever punishment they feel is necessary or called for (quite possibly none) -- fine. Night in jail -- ridiculous.

Here's the thing about that law it's not typically designed to punish the student, I live in Texas I know, the law is mainly targeted for parents who don't care to make sure their child goes to school or even care if their children get an education period. For some reason truancy in Texas has spiked dramatically in recent years since nothing else they've done seems to work so they've started telling parents that if you don't make sure your kid goes to school you could possibly be faced with jail time for neglect. This is actually the first time I've heard of a student themselves being jailed and I can only assume it's because she has no parents to hold accountable. Do I agree with the law no, do I think this was taken WAY too far in this case, definitely. But I still can't come up with a better answer for getting parents to realize that's it's not okay if you don't make sure your child gets a proper education. I still think these things need to be tried on a case by case basis and if the child is on their own that EVERY available solution should be explored first before resorting to drastic measures like this. That said there are some kids who simply won't go even if you walk them in the door to school every day yourself. If a kid wants to get out of school that bad they'll wait for first period to end and skip class on their own. So what do we do then? What do you do about parents who simply refuse to take their kids to school and also refuse to pull their kids out of school?(Which is entirely legal in Texas, you can pull your kids out of school anytime you wish.) Do we continue to let them waste tax payer dollars, Teacher's time and other children's resources?(For instance some electives only have so many slots per class) I don't know I don't think they should be so cavalier about sending a kid to jail but if you don't take drastic measures with some kids/parents they simply won't listen any other way.

>> ^seltar:

"She had broken a Texan law that makes it a crime to miss more than 10 days of school in a six month period, according to local news
When she recently missed classes again, he issued a summons and had her arrested in open court when she appeared." - src
So yeah, that judge is an Asshat for what he did, but the fact there is a law for missing school in Texas is even worse.

"She had broken a Texan law that makes it a crime to miss more than 10 days of school in a six month period, according to local news

When she recently missed classes again, he issued a summons and had her arrested in open court when she appeared." - src

So yeah, that judge is an Asshat for what he did, but the fact there is a law for missing school in Texas is even worse.

>> ^Auger8:

Public schools aren't allowed to expel someone for truancy, they can fail you but not expel you. Not on that fact alone and I say as long as she was turning her work in who cares if she was there or not. When I went to school I regularly missed 20-30 days a year due to a chronic illness but I always did my work my parents would pick up my make up work I completed it and I never failed a single grade and had honors classes in junior high and high school.

I didn't know that schools can't expel you for truancy -- good to know. Can they suspend you?

I think there are times when actually attending class is pretty important to providing a valid assessment/grade for a student, and teachers/schools do need to be able to fail a student that isn't showing up. Lab classes and other situations where you can't just do an assignment on your own time and have it graded equivalently to a student who is actually there, for example. Most of the time that probably isn't something that they should do, but in general I think that the teacher's and school's discretion is important.

I definitely agree that if she is turning in her work and measuring up to the standards of her teachers and the general school guidelines, I don't care how many days she misses. Still, I think that it is reasonable for her to have to "lobby her case" to her teachers and administration. Just not a judge. School handing out whatever punishment they feel is necessary or called for (quite possibly none) -- fine. Night in jail -- ridiculous.

Public schools aren't allowed to expel someone for truancy, they can fail you but not expel you. Not on that fact alone and I say as long as she was turning her work in who cares if she was there or not. When I went to school I regularly missed 20-30 days a year due to a chronic illness but I always did my work my parents would pick up my make up work I completed it and I never failed a single grade and had honors classes in junior high and high school.

>> ^MilkmanDan:

I don't see how this is a criminal / court issue at all.
If the school wants to kick her out, that would be their decision (it'd be a dick thing to do, but up to them). She is old enough to drop out, so the idea that the government can get entangled with "excessive truancy" is completely ridiculous.
If she isn't completing schoolwork, tell her that she may fail courses and therefore fail to graduate. But from the side that we're hearing here, it sounds like she is keeping up just fine.
Whatever the whole story is, it seems to be that it should be an issue between the school and the student. Judge needs to stop power-tripping.

I don't see how this is a criminal / court issue at all.

If the school wants to kick her out, that would be their decision (it'd be a dick thing to do, but up to them). She is old enough to drop out, so the idea that the government can get entangled with "excessive truancy" is completely ridiculous.

If she isn't completing schoolwork, tell her that she may fail courses and therefore fail to graduate. But from the side that we're hearing here, it sounds like she is keeping up just fine.

Whatever the whole story is, it seems to be that it should be an issue between the school and the student. Judge needs to stop power-tripping.

I don't understand how jail figures into the equation. If government claims education is a right, can't she waive that right? I looked up truancy and it's about neglecting one's duties. So which is it, is education a right, or a duty?

"I haven't thought about it."

Pretty much describes why the legal system is fucked side ways.

I mean if you got someone who is struggling, but still performing beyond the normal student. AND working a full time job AND working a part time job, you should put a little fucking thought into that.

When she turns 18, do they have the authority to throw her in jail anymore? Does she still have the right to an education if she misses then?

Why is it OK to punish teens like they are adults when they murder someone and then turn around and do it when they are doing everything in their power to keep everything together so they can try to make something of themselves?

That's not right and that's not justice. Just breeding hatred of the government punishing people whose biggest crime is doing TOO much to try to make a life for themselves and the worst law they broke is truancy WHILE making school their bitch with college level courses.

If she were a star sports player, they probably even wouldn't record her truancy days because "LOL she needs her rest for the big game!"

Excessive truancy? WTF, is this 1958?