Truancy and Delinquents

Texas public schools are in serious trouble and it has little to do with money. The trouble has everything to do with ideology; that is, the post-modernist ideology that has infected the leadership of this state.

Case in point is the recent passing of legislation by TX lawmakers to reduce student truancy.

Section 25.094, Education Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) An individual commits an offense if the individual :
(1) is 12 years of age or older and younger than 18 years of age

First, we use force to get kids to go to school and call ourselves a free state. Freedom historically has been defined in a political sense as freedom from government. Now government in so many ways uses force to free us from ignorance, poverty, self destruction, etc. So do our friends in communist China. Since public education is free or significantly subsidized depending on your tax situation, why not keep it voluntary? Visions of gangs of children running the streets come to people’s minds. Crime, destruction, mayhem! There may be some of this, but isn’t it really transferred from the classroom to the street? Wouldn’t the classrooms be better off without it? Maybe some of the unruly would find a job if the government didn’t restrict employment. Oh no! We must force“quality” adolescence on them for their own good! Eleven years old and younger appear to get a pass. Wonder why?


Now districts must nutureer a plan to convince students to come to school so they won’t be law breakers and jam up the overworked judges, or make the judges feel bad about forcing them to do the right thing. Not only do schools have to already “track” students who leave school, but now this:

Section 25.0915. TRUANCY PREVENTION MEASURES; REFERRAL AND FILING REQUIREMENT.
(a) A school district shall adopt truancy prevention measures designed to:
(1) address student conduct related to truancy in the school setting; and
(2) minimize the need for referrals to juvenile court for and complaints filed in county or justice court alleging truancy.

Also, the TX Supreme Court Chief Justice Jefferson wants to treat the worst delinquents who disrupt public schools with compassion. How many of the delinquents don’t want to be in school? Is there causation? I think there is, but throw that reasoning out, and bring in the idea that the delinquents need to be in school. When the delinquents destroy the environment the Chief wants to offer softer penalties. This is insane reasoning from people who care more about the delinquents than those choosing to do right. They cannot have it both ways and lack the courage to make a stand for the good versus the bad. See the Chief’s address here and you will see that it reads like any sappy liberal, post-modern nonsense. Take note of the organizations that promote these reforms which are probably receiving your tax dollars. Dig a little and you will see a lot.

There is no mention of money to support this initiative either, but there are plenty of businesses ready to offer a means to meet the unfunded mandate. Just Google the plan title. This is the same racket as NCLB where the government mandates create millionaires sucking from the trough in the name of providing services to remedy all of our social problems.

The next step in enforcing the law is:

(b) Each referral to juvenile court for or complaint filed in county or justice court alleging truancy by a student must be accompanied by a statement from the student's school certifying that:
(1) the school applied the truancy prevention measures adopted under Subsection (a) to the student; and
(2) the truancy prevention measures failed to meaningfully address the student's conduct related to truancy.

The schools should have plenty of resources to comply with this- not! Recession/ staffing cuts? How many administrators will toil with this nonsense and have less time to ensure quality curriculum and instruction for the kids who want to be in school? Again, leadership resources are shifted from the cooperative and productive students to the delinquents so that they can be present to cause more delinquency and suck more resources from a diminishing account.

It appears that leaders who purport to be the biggest advocates for at-risk kids, continue to engage in an ideology that is destructive to the good kids. Then again, it’s always easy to be the nice guy.