Guess what -- good news! Los Angeles may soon do something about its daytime curfew and truancy laws, which can result in kids getting handcuffed by police, searched, and fined hundreds of dollars just for arriving at school a few minutes late. Who-hoo! ... I'm sorry, what? Kids are getting handcuffed and searched and fined hundreds of dollars -- money their families need to make rent and pay for food -- just because they're a few ticks behind schedule?
What country are we living in again?
The laws were apparently put in place to cut down on truancy and crimes near schools, but instead ended up keeping many kids out of school (and lower graduation rates). If kids saw that they were running late -- and risking fines and court fees that could climb over $800 -- they just turned around and went home, skipping the whole day of school instead. What's more, studies have shown the laws have unfairly targeted Latinos, blacks, and low-income students.
Ugh. Seriously, people, what message are we sending to our nation's youth? As one lawyer involved in the case told the Los Angeles Times, criminalizing well-meaning kids for coming late to school is "backward in every way." It's also inhumane and outrageous and just so discouraging.
Look, we all do our best to get our kids to school on time, but who among us hasn't occasionally missed a bus or swung up to the school doors a few minutes late? Certainly not me. And aside from the humiliation of an arrest and and the absurdity of the fines, making kids miss school and parents miss work (and wages) to go to court for hearings after they've been ticketed is just totally counterproductive. The whole thing boggles the mind.
But if you really want to have your heart broken, just listen to the story of one kid who's been mentioned in the press: 17-year-old high school senior Nabil Romero, whose mom couldn't drive him to school one day last year. He had to take two buses as a result, but the public transportation ran late, and he arrived at school a few minutes after first period had started. As he was walking up to school, police approached him, handcuffed him, and ticketed him. His family fought the citation, but still ended up having to pay a $350 fine. That meant the family had to cut back on groceries. Romero's response? "This was all my fault because I was not in class."
Ticketed good kids like that for circumstances beyond their control? That's not justice -- it's just totally messed up.
What do you think of the truancy laws?
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Comments 17
What happened to parents being able to excuse thier children for tardies and absences?
Absolutely ridiculous!!
Homeschool, homeschool, homeschool. Get the government out of your family.
Good Grief That's crossing the line!
Totally asinine.Obviously another case of stupid people being put into a position of power (why does that happen SO much?) If I were the parent of a student at this school I would be throwing the biggest fit they've ever seen (and convincing as many parents as I could to join me) until they changed this idiotic and illogical policy.GEEZ.
I agree truancy should be tackled differently, but I have to say that after workibng for LAUSD at one of the lowest performing high schools in America (at the time it was #2 from the bottom), many of LAUSD's schools have an alarming truancy rate that would boggle the minds of any parent concerned about their child's attendance/schooling/welfare. Plus, most of the students these sorts of policies typically effect are students also engaging in activities that are unheard of in most households with parents who are also concerned about their children. I don't believe a simple (yep, simple) arrest is the answer for truancy, but this post (and the linked article) doesn't give readers the full story (I'm not saying it necessarily should, moreso that readers should remember they may not be privy to the graveness of the matter).
P.S. (mostly to MamaBearC) Most of the parents at schools where rules like these are enforced are unable to, unwilling to, or just do not know how to advocate for their child in the way you mention. I agree, if this were my child's school (or the school where I currently work) I would throw an absolute fit as well, unfortunately most of these parents don't have that opportunity due to work, language barriers, a lack of knowledge about how to address the situation, etc. It's a sad, frustrating problem that is not going to be solved by the recent changes implemented.
If we have learned nothing else about the Los Angeles Unified School District this year, it's that they have a very screwed up skewed interpretation of the law and school policies. After all they were the school district that housed the two teachers for years who abused and molested children while in school. When I was working in the collection dept of a National Children's Book Distribution Company (you know with the big red dog) LAUSD was *always* making excuses for why they didn't and shouldn't have to pay their bills. That is one messed up school district.
Absolutely ridiculous!!