Neither way should they be rewarded or punished for
attendance. I have held my daughters and sons out of school so I could personally take them somewhere. I once just took my daughter shopping lunch and conversation. Time is very valuable. You need to decide what is most important. as I type this I will never get back the TIME it took to write.

I value everyone that posts here or anywhere as you have given of yourself the most precious gift we have and that is Time. I am sure I am not the oldest but I know for sure I am not the youngest.

Imsabm,
Yes, it is much easier when children are younger and listen to you more. This is the time when parents NEED to set the stage for the behavior they want then to display the rest of their lives. Remember, "I said to bend the tree in the direction you want it to grow when it is first planted- If you wait until it's roots are established, it will be impossible to redirect the growth". Illness and other emergencies are expected and understandable as we are all humans. However, PARENTS should be setting the rules in the home. NOT the children. The notion that parents have no control over their high school student (teenager) is not the right answer. As a matter of fact, that's the root of the problem. Children can't decide which rules they are going to follow and which ones they aren't just because they don't like the rules. So many parents make excuses for their children, that children have come to expect that they will automatically be rescued by their parents with yet another excuse, whether it is appropriate or not. Break the excuse mold and create an accountability mold . We (at least I and most people I know) in the REAL WORLD are tired of dealing with unprepared would be grown ups who dont' have the tools to function in a society that was built on rules and respect for others. It creates a problem for you, them and us. I am adamant about this issue. Your child's behavior reflects directly on you, the parent. The parent is the FIRST teacher. If the parent fail to do their job at raising their children, how can they expect anyone else to be successful with their child? We need to go back to the basics of being parents and forget about being our children's friends, playmates and other foolishness. Two children, ages 26 & 23 and they have never uttered one profane word or talked back to me inappropriately. My mother died when I was 46 & I gave her that same RESPECT.

What age of children are we talking about, and what sort of circumstances are there?

Elementary school aged children rely on their parents for most things. So, yes, the parents are responsible for their children attending school. But, is the child a sickly or disabled one to a point that constant attendance is physically impossible? Has there been a situation that came to be that caused this child to miss a week, like the death of a family member?

Middle school children do greatly depend on their parents, but they are beginning to get to the point of making strong decisions by themselves, such as whether or not to skip school. So, parents should be held accountable... to a point. You can tell children until you're blue in the face that school is important and attendance is crucial, but for some it goes in one ear and out the other. Yet again, you have to take circumstances into account.

High school students. These kids are pretty much independent. Most get themselves up and off to school. And, it's not uncommon for high schoolers to skip and/or ditch, especially with friends. Bad friends often lead to bad decisions. But, parents don't choose their children's friends; you can't tell them to stay away from someone and expect them to listen--where there's a will, there's a way. So, that should lie mostly on the children, not the parents. Circumstances do apply here, too. Life events can happen at any age.

So many pros and cons. When a child has the means of getting to school and just takes the day off, then the parents should get a call from the school as to why there child was absent. If a note is forgotten, the school calls and the parent gives the reason why. If the student is consistantly truant then the parents are called in. Every absense has different circumstances. Yes, we are to be held responsible for our children. Get the resources you need that will be given to you at your childs school. Students have always been given a certificate for outstanding attendance since my children were in school. If it is just not following rules by the parent/parents and just being stubborn, then the parents have to follow the school handbook. They need to get assistance for their child or the CHILD can get help by talking to a teacher.

If students are truant, that is an issue to be addressed with the parents, they are the ones in charge. But parents shouldn't be rewarded for doing what is right!!
A paper certificate at years end to the perfect attendance children is a nice way to recognize that accomplishment. It shouldn't be a big award because children get sick and have to stay home when the illness is bad enough. Please don't send your kids to school when they are contagious, and teach good hygiene, like washing hands, sneezing into arm or better yet a Kleenex, if you can get to it in time. My daughter wasn't sick a day until... school days!

First, I don't think schools are unrealistic in expecting students to be in attendance and on time. If students have scheduled appointments, certainly that should be documented and students should nto be punished. Schools usually have a set number of days that a student can be absent during the school year and still meet their attendance requirement. When a student exceeds those days, their absences should be reviewed and parents SHOULD be held accountable. The primary problem with our education system is lack of accountability, beginning in the home. I know it sounds like I'm coming down hard on parents, and perhaps I am, but ultimately, your child is your responsibility. My father constantly told me and my siblings to "bend a tree in the direction you want it to grow at the moment you plant it. If you wait until it takes root and leans in one direction, it will be impossible to straighten it out later on." Good and bad behavior is learned. Start the good behavior early and the bad behavior may be avoided. I agree with marrz74 about school back in the day. Back then, parents were parents and there was no doubt about it. They were not your friend. Nowadays, it is difficult to distinguish who is who. Believe it or not, children want direction and discipline in their lives. If they know their parents will hold them accountable, they will expect the school and society to hold them accountable as well.

I think there is a happy medium. NO- parents should not be rewarded for having their children meet attendance requirements, doesn't mean that there aren't parents out there who do allow their children to miss too much school. Similarly, I think that it is hard to find appointmnets to fit your child's health needs as well as balance that with attendance. I know that personally, if my child has to miss school for an appointment, i only schedule so that they can either fulfill most of their day, or return to school to finish the day. Appointments should not cause an all day absence. But I do hold my children to the responsibility that there are no video games, sports or play dates on absent/sick days. They are to be sick. I think that instead of investing money to the parents who's children are truant/absent too much, maybe they need a parenting class on how to hold thier child or themselves accountable for a quality education. I do think that jdani has a point that kids should not miss too much school, but good teachers can teach to a class of 5 or 25.

For Pete Sakes! In my day we were to go to school or suffer the rath of our Parents...
Yes that's back in the day when you could force your kids to go to school with threats,not today. I believe should get recognition for for perfect attendance just like honor roll.
Now if someone got perfect attendance since kindergarten they should get a scholorship as well as a special diploma. Colleges would value such a student.

Check out this article from the Detroit Free Press:

Get your kid in school today, win a car
Districts using incentives for full ranks on count day
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tinyurl.com/4vf7rl
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jdani, do you have any kids? Have you tried to get a dentist appt. with your kids, and been able to pick the times that YOU WANT? If the dentist needs to schedule monthly appt., it is sometime hard to plan this around school hours! Do you, yourself have ten days build into your own teacher's contract and use those to go to appts. that you take when they can get you in? IMAGINE, HOW MANY DENTIST WOULD JUST LOVE TO WORK UNTIL FROM 3PM -GOD KNOWS WHEN, BECAUSE TEACHERS WANT YOUR CHILD TO NOT BE TRUANT!!! Doesn't work that way. It irritates me to hear a teacher consider a child being gone for illnesses that need medical attn., or appts. that are vital to their health as being seen as truancy by schools. (usually my kids don't even see a dr. allllll summer, but when the school year starts, up to May....my kids get ill, flu, strep, pink eye, stomach viruses, and more) DO YOU INTERUPT MY CHILD'S EDUCATION WHEN YOU, YOURSELF, MISS FOR APPTS....OR ARE ILL...AND THE SCHOOL BRINGS IN A SUB WHO SPENDS THE DAY, JUST BABYSITTING?

They should be penalized. As a teacher, kids come and go ALL DAY LONG! How can I do my job and do it well when there are always students missing? There isn't time to make up that lesson so your kids out of luck! Parents need to stop planning trips during school, orthodontist appts., etc.

I know that the students in my daughters school receive rewards such as free meals at local area restaurants, or just a paper award given to them showing the others who has not missed any school. It's more rewarding to be called and given this than anything and understanding this helps me remind my daughter the importance of being at school each day.
The biggest problem with truancy is with the parents who feel that it's "no big deal" to have their kids out of school for their last minute vacation or because they couldn't get them to school. The parents need a report card from the school (got them to school on time, signed off on homework, helps with homework and doesn't actually do it, communicates, volunteers, etc.).

I think if the school district that my children attend are more concerned about the attendance than they should. I have children who have severe allergies. While my children are far from the attendance expected of even myself, I do believe that attendance is important...but not always possible, as I have learned.
It would be nice for the school who has been successful in their passing of state yearly testings, in concerns of the children, making the grades that the state expects. HOWEVER, in our district...a small community, under 6000 people...our tax rates are one of the highest in MO. Our schoools over the past four years, has not met state map expectations...YET OUR TAXES INCREASE EVERY YEAR TO KEEP UP WITH THE DISTRICT'S TRUE INTENT....NEW FACILITIES/HIGHER PAY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF!!! (WHILE THE OVERALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR TEACHING STAFF IS NEW, AND INEXPERIENCED TEACHERS FRESH-OUT OF COLLEGE-LESS THAN THREE YEARS EXPERIENCE.)

I have lived in this district all of my life and have seen a big trend in rewarding children on Fridays for their weekly, perfect attendance. I am not in favor of this. Punishing a kindergartener for missing the afternoon, due to the school nurse sending them home, due to their eyes swelling shut due to air-borne allergies, and/or other illnesses is not something I feel that my kindergartener can help. Moreover, by that FUN-FRIDAY, HE IS UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PERFECT ATTENDANCE ACTIVITIES!!! I guess he should be punished and myself too, for his absences, due to something, out of his control.
Our school district does not preach good attendance due to any reason, other than their loss of revenues, each time your child is gone! (Actually, given a letter, containing this.) With the district slipping further and further down in map scores and lower graduation rates rising each school year, I think that the rewards and punishment system should start in the specific school and its staff, first!!!

Yes, 2, now grown, and I am a grandma. (1 grandchild) and yes my little daughter now 12 and I have a special bond. A different bond then with the older children. The 12 yr.old was not with me when I had the accident. But therapy does wonders.
But not to get off the subject, the social services said to me, you have to get this little girl in school, now! When I got her she had 2 outfits and a head full of lice. No records, birth certificate, nothing. I had to track down everything, get clothes, and fix her head.
I am sure I would have gotten into trouble if I didn't get her in school by a certain time. The head lice took the longest. I can't explain it here, but from that point on, my life and her life changed, She loves school, and still does. She writes me notes saying things like, "Thank you for giving me my life back". Way too smart for her age. I kept them all and showed the judge..........

Grandma823,
I'm so sorry about your husband. That's very sad. It sounds like your daughter is a very smart girl. Things do happen in life that we have no control over and things happen for a reason. She's right, you were meant to raise her. I know you two must have a very special relationship and a close bond together.
Best wishes to you and your daughter. Do you have any other children? (if you don't mind my asking)

Thank You very much. And to top this very true story off, my husband and I were in a motorcycle accident in 2001. I lost him in 2002. I didn't know why I survived, and at times wish I didn't. She tells me I survived because I had to raise her. So sometimes we do not understand why things happen the way they do. But I guess it was his time, and my job was not finished yet.
We are both very blessed and thankful we have each other. (sorry to get off the track of the question)

Grandma823,
What an inspiring story. You must be so proud. You are a true example of a rewarded parent. Your daughter sounds like a wonderful girl. You are both so blessed for having each other.

I just adopted a child and she is 12 now. She has been with me for 3 years, which means she was 9 when I got her. She had NEVER been to school. I cannot tell you how proud of her I am, seeing her go to school, on a bus for the first time, having teachers, making friends, and learning. This little girl THANKED ME for allowing HER to go to school. I sat down and cried. I have been rewarded 100 times over. Money for me could not compare what I get from her everyday. And to top it all off, she is getting straight A's. She is such a joy to have in my home. Everything you do for her is such a big thing, and it just makes me want to do more and more. She has changed my life totally! So rewarded? You get rewarded by seeing your child succeed in life and become a productive human being. That is a parents reward.

Kids rewarded...YES, parents rewarded...NO. It's our responsibility to make sure they are at school everyday. And the true reward to the parent is seeing how proud their kids are of themselves for achieving perfect attendance and recieving a reward, trophy or certificate. Knowing that he or she feels good that they were recognized. That's enough of a reward for me. (and being proud, myself, of course)
For the parents that don't get their kids to school regularly, unless they are truly sick, well you should be ashamed. Their attendance is very important and it's hard for them to catch up with the rest of the class.

GREAT JOB "SHAMOYA". Congratulations to both of you. It is encouraging to hear so many responses to this question. We as parents get our reward from our children growing and SUCCEEDING.

it's the parent responsibility for sending their child to school every day, each parent want the best education,and the best college for their child, attending school more regular is a step in the right direction. REWARD should be given to the child who attend school every day at the end ofthe school year, not just a certificate, but a trophy. this will motivate other student to attend school more often. my daughte r have an execellent attend record, my daughter never miss a day from school, from grade 1, 2,3 and now she is in grade 4. should i be rewarded no, it's my obligation to do it. she is also a principal honor roll student.

One successful initiative our PTA put into effect was a program desigend to incoporate attendance as one requirement in addiiton to grades and achievement. Our program Excellence in Education awards points for perfect attendance and grades and imporving grades. When sufficient points are reached, the student receives a prize. Last year it was water bottles with our school logo that changed color when cold. This way attendance is acknowledged on an individual basis, and the student is the one getting rewarded-leading to an internalization of the attendance responsibilities. Bottem line is though, to increase attendance there has to be something in place to motivate the children to "want" to come to school. That is the only way to keep students' attendance up.

I can see why it may seem like a good idea to pay parents, but what happens when attendance goes up and the parent of every student is being paid? That's a large expense.
Kids with attendance excellence should be acknowledged individually in a school assembly and rewarded with some type of college assistance.

SunnySue said "Many schools we have attended put perfect attendance names into a drawing for a large prize as well."
I don't like this idea because every child should be acknowledged individually. A drawing only rewards one, or a few students.

In the case of truancy, each case needs to be examined for the reasons behind it. It may be that the child is having learning difficulties, dealing with bullies of one kind or another, or may have problems at home. It may be that the parent(s) don't care or have some serious issues of their own that need to be addressed.
I think balanced solutions can be found.
Jailing students and parents for tardiness is extreme.
I think some good solutions are:

1) what vali58 said;
"For serious attendance issues, the parents
and child were summoned to meet with district officials, school administrators and a member of the police dept. to discuss the attendance issue, and a contract or agreement would be written up for a determined period of time. In many cases these meeting were effective."

2) The Ads Blitz mentioned previously by jonsmom ; preview.tinyurl.com/5cm5s6

3) The GPS anklets, also mentioned previously by jonsmom; tinyurl.com/6m747w
There was a privacy concern;
Terri Burke, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, said requiring students to wear the GPS bracelets full-time raises privacy concerns.
I say if students or parents are concerned about privacy, that can be solved simply by attending school.

In the end, no, I don't think parents should be paid for their child's attendance - although having their child recognized individually in an assembly and be rewarded with some type of college assistance could be their reward, and that of seeing their child make these accomplishments.

I don't really like the idea of drawings, it only rewards one, or a few children. Every child with excellent attendance should be rewarded.

Absolutely not! Attendance at schools is as mandatory as having teachers. Education is a two way street, parents need to be just as involved and accountable as the teachers/administration. As parents we hold teachers/administration to very high standards (usually), and its our responsibility to hold ourselves to the same standards-especially when it comes to making sure your child attends school, and even if it means taking a punishment if they don't.

Hell No! It is a parent's responsibility to make sure their child attends and participates in school. Why should my tax dollars pay a parent to do what they should be doing already?

Protection for the new generation should begin from infancy. That infancy is the time to begin is made clear by the great Protector, Jehovah God, whose Word says: “Train up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn aside from it.” The younger the child, the easier is the establishment of good habits. A child is incomparably more easily trained than the most intelligent dog. A child can be taught to run, to climb, to swim, to stand and to walk and even to speak several languages. Protective moral habits can likewise be taught from infancy. Dogs themselves are trained not to steal. Shall parents, then, teach dogs not to steal and fail when it comes to their own children? Give the right training from infancy.—Prov 22:6. WT 8/16/63

To ChristinaE, I say, AMEN!! I couldn't have said it better.

I don't think parents should be rewarded for their children's attendance. That comes along with being a parent. There are some kids that aren't as fortunate to have parents that care. It's not thier fault. They did not choose to come here. This is why some people should not be parents. There are kids who want to go to school, but they are being neglected by thier parents. They leave the responsibility over to the child. Since the parent doesn't care neither does the child. This is why some kids are not going to school. Parents that do this type of thing is about themselves. This is why we have so many kids in the system. They need to be held accountable. We parents who really get involved in our children education and life...just know our kids are blessed. Sometimes we need to wear someone else shoes. I think kids like this needs to be rewarded. It show them someone care. It is all our responsibility to see that the kids get educated. Remember it could be you........

What has this world come too!! Everyday I get more amazed at the things I read. This is crazy. School starts and ends at the same time everyday, is it really that hard to get your child to school on time? Unfortunately sometimes things happen and your child may be late once or twice in a year. But it seems to be always the same children who are tardy the most or absent and possibly these children and parents need to be dealt with on an individual basis due to certain situations. It is a parents responsibilty to get a child to school on time. Wether they are younger or older. Parents should be on top of it. If your older child is late all the time then as a parent you should be doing something about it. Why is it always up to schools to fix problems when it should be the parent. I dont believe I child should be rewarded for being on time. It should be understood. As adults we do not get rewarded for being on time to work or being on time to church or being on time anywhere. Parents should teach there children responsibility and part of being responsible is to be on time. The world today is just full of excuses!! The schools should not accept laziness. As a parent do your job so people dont have to come up with a reason to make you do it.

Children should be rewarded for attendance as a way to keep them motivated and able to relate positively to school. We as adults get rewarded by getting a paycheck for showing up to work and doing our job, so why not do the same for the kids? Also, there are many children who attend school because their home situation is so sad. School gives them something positive to look forward to, so why not reward them?

I do not feel parents should be rewarded for their kids attendance. It is the parents responsibility to make sure the child goes to school. If a child is out of school because of illness, then that is another story. Why would someone think a parent should be rewarded for sending their child to school everyday, which is what they should be doing anyways????

I don't think either one.The whole problem is kids have been allowed to get away with too much for too long and yet they run around with pagers, cell phones,mp3 players...even cars...yes the correction needs to begin at home...but rewarding bad behavior over and over again instead of parents dealing with the problem isn't the answer.....

I don't think parents should be rewarded. It is our responsability as parents to see that our children get to school and get an education. The reward is that our children get an education and can get good jobs later on in life. I think the parent should be punished, especially if it is laziness that the parent can't get up to get the child to school.

I found it very interesting that a health issue, such as asthma, was such a major contributing factor in students missing school. For me, when I think of truancy, the first thoughts that come to mind, perhaps unfairly, are uninvolved or unaware parents. Proper health care, or lack of, obviously plays a huge role in the success of our students.

Parents should not be rewarded for their child's attendance. Parents are liable and it is their responsibility to make sure their kids are in school. On the other hand it is a great idea to reward the child. In regards to punishing parents, it should be done on a case by case basis for the following reasons: When I worked at a Jr. High school many years ago, there were responsible parents who dropped off their children at school on their way to work, all to find out later that they were truant or absent. On the other end of the spectrum I met parents who didn't care if their children were at school and in some cases they kept their children home for no apparent reason. For serious attendance issues, the parents and child were summoned to meet with district officials, school administrators and a member of the police dept. to discuss the attendance issue, and a contract or agreement would be written up for a determined period of time. In many cases these meeting were effective.

No, I do not think that parents should be rewarded in any way for their children attendance records. As a parent it is our responsibility to make sure our children are in school everyday. I do like, however, when our children receive acknowledgement for good/great attendance (that's reward enough for me).
On the other hand unfortunately I do think parents should be held, some what, accoutable for children not attending school.

What??? Is there no such thing as responsibity today?!!!Parents KNOW Their kids are expected to attend school!! If they care at all about their kid they will be involved enough to find out if their kid is not going to school!! We already only go to school 180 days out of 365 what with holidays etc. Sorry but from age 5 to age 16 kids should be in some kind of school . Already most of the middle schoolers and high schoolers in my area are done by 1:30 pm in the afternoon. Kids who are bored and loose cause TROUBLE! They have nothing else better to do. My parents made sure that we went to school and that when school ended we had some type of class to go to. Kids should be in school from at least 9am until 4pm not only doing school work but doing Music, art, sports,etc.Where does the money in each district go? That's what I would like to know because it is not paid to the teachers nor is it spent on textbooks or art supplies for the kids. Why on earth would a parent get paid for their child's attendance. As a kid school is your job, live with It!

Parents should not be paid for getting child to school on time. ts the parents responsibility to get child to school.They wouldn't miss work our show up to work late.I like the idea for student to get a prize for good attendance.

I can't believe that it would even be considered to pay a parent for their child's attendance. That is crazy!!!! Now, rewarding a child by giving awards is a different story altogether. I think that they should increase in size or value at certain milestones such as the end of elementary, middle school and then high school. Many schools we have attended put perfect attendance names into a drawing for a large prize as well. Regarding truancy, if it is habitual, I think that parents and kids should have to attend some kind of counseling classes.

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful responses.

I read another article today about parents of chronically truant students having to appear before a judge. However, in many cases they found parents simply needed support or resources to get their kids to school. (Some of you stated that you thought this might be the case.)

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"In some cases, parents weren't putting forth an effort. In others, they had mental health problems. Some are without cars. Some pulled children for extended vacations. Some sheltered their special needs children.

The biggest contributor, however, were parents who kept home children suffering from asthma attacks.

[The judge and school district] worked with school staff to connect parents with doctors, clinics and other resources to help check the condition.

The schools also offered extra help, starting what has become a popular after-school tutoring program for children in the program. Most parents came to view the court as a resource, and not a threat."

You should get some kind of recognition. Could you imagine if my boy got compensated for every year he attended without absence. We could pay for the senior pictures. Ha-Ha I enjoy seeing young men and women who truly look forward to school.

The Los Alamitos (CA) USD already punishes the parents for any absence. In writing, they tell the parents that for every day that your child is absent (excused or not), that the State doesn't pay them $40. They expect the parents to pay $40 per day to the USD for each vacation day you take during the school year!
I did it one year and now I expect to be paid for perfect attendance.

I couldn't agree more!
Tell your son C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S! And good job to you too!!

As a parent of a senior student with perfect attendance since kindergarten. I would love to see him graduate with more acknowledgment than a pin. When he finished 6th grade the community was involved and now that he is a senior of high school he has been thinking about colleges all the time. I think it is a parents job to help keep the children motivated in the early years of school, this in turn will help keep them motivated as they grow older. It is sad that some children have no other choice but not to go to school, because they have no support at home.

I agree totally!! School is not an option and the reward is a good education... which in tun leads to a good life!
As far as kids who go out the back door when dropped off at school, there MUST be a reason, if the parent can't get to the bottom of it then they need to ask for help, if not they are totally responsible for the consequences. If you do nothing about their actions, they will think you don't care and in turn, they don't care... BE A PARENT! If you can't handle it ASK FOR HELP!

For Pete Sakes! In my day we were to go to school or suffer the rath of our Parents. Yes, the parents should be responsible for the children in every way until they are out of the home. Kids need to take a responsibility also. From the time they are 5 years old to 19? they should be taught---there is no choice -- they go to school.

I think kids should be rewarded. If it will help with them going to school, do it. They have assemblies at school for those who made honor roll.

What happens if you drop your child off at school and they in turn go out the back door? I heard of this happening to this lady who was charged with truancy because their child was skipping school. Should the parent be charged? She was doing her job. The school should have accountability as well. If you are allowing your child to stay home because they don't want to go to school, then first of all find out why. It could be for other reasons. Kids are dealing with so much these days. Parents who just are plan out lazy or don't care should be held responsible for their kids not going to school.

I think at elementary school we should try to motivate the chldrens to attand the school regurarly,Belive it or not if they are really willing to go to school,they will go with a very small effart,and once it's become a willing it will be with them for rest of there life ,a good habit starts early.

we moved from India there they have rewards for kids who have 100% attendencs or 95% and it really works well. Reward can be a madle ,certificate a small amount for there back to school supllies at the end of seccion, really make them feel spacial and parants get motiveted too indirectly offcource.

IN OHIO THE CHILD AND PARENT BOTH CAN GO TO JAIL FOR AS LITTLE AS THE CHILD HAVING TO MANY TARDIES.I THINK THEY ARE TO HARSH AND THE ENFORCE THESE POLICIES.

I should clarify that by legal action, I meant that there should be resources available for parents in these situations. There is obviously a reason that these kids choose not to go to school and that should be looked at... find the root of the problem!

The laws in many states make it near impossible for parents to force their teens to do anything. Unfortunately for these parents, they are still legally responsible for their teens actions until they are 18.

Thus punishing parents for truancy should only be allowed in instances where they are legally allowed to force the issue.

I think it depends alot on each individual family. Smaller children should NOT be punished in my opinion, that is 100% up to the parents. I say this because I have known a few parents to keep their kids home because they can't get themselves out of bed... bottom line is, if it isn't important to the parent, it won't be important to the child later on.

Now, kids that are older and are skipping school (e.i. WITHOUT parents knowledge) should definitely be punished and if the behavior is not corrected by the parent or punishment, then there should be some sort of legal involvement.

I also think that awarding children (and parents) with scholarships is a wonderful way to show how important an education really is.

My daughters and I just moved into Center Grove from Perry Township. My middle daughter, who is a starting freshman at the University of Southern Indiana this year left Perry Meridian High School with 12 years of perfect attendance. She received a lapel pin at an awards ceremony 2 weeks prior to graduation. That was it. She felt neglected at the small notice of all of HER years of perfect attendance. A few years back, the township used to reward students such as this with a small scholarship ($500) per semester of perfect attendance. That was a "reward" for the student as well as the parent (in my opinion). Needless to say, they stopped just a few years prior to my daughter graduating. I don't feel the parents should be rewarded, per se', but the student certainly should be. On the same note, if a student is constantly truant, they as well as the parent should be held responsible. I was lucky in the fact the my daughter NEVER required prodding from me to get up and go to school. Her younger sister unfortunately did not receive this same trait and constantly asks if she "can just stay home". She has friends whose parents allow them to stay home for no specific reason and she tells me that "I am not fair". I smile, then say "I love you, now get ready for school". End of story.

And here is another example of action to curtail school truancy:
Ads aim to reduce Maryland system's truancy rates
preview.tinyurl.com/5cm5s6
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I just ran across this news story about drastic action taken to keep tabs on chronically truant students:

Texas truant students to be tracked by GPS anklets
tinyurl.com/6m747w
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I see the problem all of the time where I teach. Some students are absent for all of the wrong reasons - usually it's an extended vacation, but often it is just a whole bunch of "I don't feel like coming to school days" and it is really obvious. Trust me, it comes from the parents. Some students would come to school with bones sticking out - just because they know they need to be at school. Others are absent for any reason they can find - usually very bad reasons.

I agree that there should be some sort of penalties for this type of behavior from parents.

Thats the problem, many times the student is not able to attend school because of their home life. Most of the time actually.

(Thats not considering children with medical problems and legitiment reasons.)

And, they are punished if the problem continues; social services are contacted by the school and they step in to see what exactly the problem is and how to fix it. (Its against the law if a child does not attend some kind of school on a regular basis) Ultimately, the child will be taken away from the parent(s), the parent(s) could also have charges brought against them for child neglect.

I agree that parents should be punished if their children are truant. It is up to the parent to be aware of where their child is, and make sure they are whee they should be. Attendance is directly correlated with school success. If a parent does not take an active role in making sure their child makes it to school they are setting the child up for failure.

yes

To answer some of your questions, by "truant" I'm referring to students who habitually miss full days of school each year without a valid excuse (such as illness). Truancy laws and procedures may vary from state to state. Truancy (in this poll) doesn't refer to kids who are not legally required to be in school, nor does it refer to students who are a little late getting to school. I hope that clarification helps. Thanks for your great comments, everyone!

Are the students your talking about not going to school at all? or are they just late alot?
If they do not attend school on a regular basis there is a process that the school is required to go through after so many absences. (ie. contacting the parent. Eventually social services will get involved and check out their home life to see what is preventing them from going to school)

if they are late to class to much, they also have steps to take but definately not as dramatic. It usually involves in children discipline(ie. suspension, conduct cuts, etc.)

But yeah, no one should be rewarded for attendance because it is expected for the child to come to school. (yes, schools give out perfect attendance trophies/certificates at the end of the year, but other than that there shouldnt be any other reward or punishment.)

=)

Now as for medical reasons, students are typically relieved from school or homeschooled/tutored, depending on their conditiona and ability to do school work.

I looked up the compulsory laws for California and it looks like (I am not certain) children do not have to be in school till they are six years of age. So the truancy law shouldn't effect them right? As for the other's it can be a number of reasons these children are truant. Such as chronic illness or other medical reasons. Some of these parents may not speak English or speak it well and don't understand they need a note or what not. Or maybe it is a family who has no medical insurance and can't afford to take their child/children to the doctors every-time they are sick (not including severe illnesses) and so can not get a doctors note(maybe for some reason they make too much to get help with insurance but still really can't afford it). So punishing all these people doesn't really seem right to people like these. Maybe they really need to look into what is going on and not just look at the number.

As for rewards, I don't see the reason for that either.

After reading the San Francisco article it is my opinion that parents should be held responsible for their children's attendance. As responsible adults of society it is up to us to instill the importance of education and the impact it can have on their future while they are young. On the other hand, prison, to me would be counter productive. I think fines and parenting classes would be the more logical choice. Another part of the article I saw that was puzzling to me was parents saying they had no means to get their children to school. I find it hard to wrap my mind around this justification because there are numerous ways to get your children to and from school. The school buses, city buses, car pools, bikes, walking etc. Parents keeping their children home and denying them an education when it's free is negligent and selfish. However, I do not think that parents that do send their children to school need to be rewarded either. This is something you are supposed to do you should not need an incentive! That to me sounds like a reward for covering the basics of being a good parent. Helping your children become productive, educated members of society should be a reward in itself.