Money is running dry for a successful truancy-fighting program in Montgomery County, leaving lawmakers and school officials scouring for other funding and ways to keep kids in school.The Truancy Court Program connects public middle school students with a judge and mentor each week, to figure out why the child is skipping school and put him or her back on track. Francis Scott Key Middle School in Silver Spring and Germantown's Neelsville Middle School began the program in 2010 after a federal grant provided Maryland with $500,000 to roll out the program into four counties over three years.As a result, participating Neelsville students averaged a 59 percent drop in absences and a 75 percent drop in tardy reports in spring 2011, while Key students averaged 44 percent fewer absences and a 33 percent reduction in tardiness.http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/education/2012/03/truancy-program-risk-funding-bottoms-out/422136
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Truancy program at risk as funding bottoms out
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This program may work for children that cut school willingly, but for children who are struggling with an illness and simply cannot attend school, it fails. I am a former parent whose child had multiple illnesses, and despite me (a single parent of more then one child)doing everything I could to to have my child in school when able and home when he was ill, it wasn't enough to satisfy the schools numbers. I am sorry but Scott Key's principal and some of the counselors place all of those children in the same category when they should look at a case by case basis. It's a good thing I came equip with supportive Doctor's and a good lawyer, or else I would have gotten walked over so their success numbers could rise and make them look good. I hope this programs loses all of its money and is stopped. If a child is missing school, have the police departments truancy officers haul them into the police department and call their parents. Period. Makes me so upset to think of this situation.
ReplyDeleteThank you for telling your experience with this program.
DeleteI agree with the above. I've been at the doctors office with my child trying to deal with that while the school and all my emergency contacts are blowing up my phone because the school called them..........makes a stressful situation even more stressful!! This program beyond intrudes into your personal business and if doctors notes are given that should be more than enough!!!
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