Truancy is intentional, unjustified, unauthorized, or illegal absence from compulsory education. Its absence is caused by students of their own free will and does not apply to excused absences. In the U.S. truancy laws are regulated by local school districts and vary widely across the United States. Penalties include fines or jail time for parents or children. In 2019 Presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke introduced plans that would require the government to decriminalize truancy at the federal level.
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@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
Yes
@9FPL67T2yrs2Y
All children under the age of seventeen should be required to go to school with a students being able to miss school if the school had approved the reason for the absence.
@TheHillbillyLordRepublican3mos3MO
The government has no right to tell kids what to do, only the child's parents have that authority. As long as the kid isn't committing crimes or participating in inhumane acts (such as gender transitioning surgeries or taking drugs), the government has no right to be involved. Parents can choose how they want their child to be educated, whether formally or informally.
@9FSJN9V2yrs2Y
Children need to go to school to get an education. Higher education reduces crime and improves everyone else’s life.
@9GJQRLQRepublican2yrs2Y
No because the kids need to learn there subject.if they did not went to school they not going to know nothing in the real world.At least let them finish high school so they have experience if they encounter something they have to know.
@9G7ZZWJ 2yrs2Y
Sometimes the breaks that students are given are not sufficient because the main reason students want time off is mental exhaustion, not celebration of something. Said exhaustion can happen for many reasons and at many times.
@ISIDEWITH6yrs6Y
No
@9GXB6PM 2yrs2Y
I feel like school truancy is stupid because good kids who have hard things going on in life, and can't always be in school shouldn't have to bare consequences schools should at least speak with the students . But if a kid doesn't try and it naturally bad they should bare the consequences.
@9H2CHT92yrs2Y
School truancy is an excuse to participate in these hard things in life such as gangs, drugs, and sexual relations so it should be outlawed.
@B2Y4V365mos5MO
School truancy is simply the act of skipping school without a formal excuse. Although it CAN be used to participate in those things, so can anything else that frees up time that would otherwise be spent in a governmental institution. Should everyone's entire days be government-operated to prevent crime?
@9H2C4ZF2yrs2Y
I agree with this statement because its saying that good kids get punished for what bad kids do and they dont get punished for it
@9H2KZLK2yrs2Y
Those students may be good kids but no matter what is going on at home there should be a valiant effort in trying to come to school. There should be that conversation had with the family and the student but there needs to be some consequence on not coming to school each day.
@9H2DDNL2yrs2Y
If a child is not going to school, it is harming their education. If they are close to falling under that title of truancy, finding a way to continue education is important. Life is hard but a good school system can help a child who is missing too much school to stay on track.
@DirtHutCaver2023Libertarian 2yrs2Y
If the government shouldn't decriminalize school truancy, what will you do to make school more-engaging and educational? How will you provide better access to school for those who can't get to school easily? Etc.
Basically, how would you make school worth going to? At the moment, school isn't very worth going to, so I feel like it's not fair to punish kids for truancy. But, Idk.
@9FSV9892yrs2Y
It should only be towards children who do not attend school on their own accord. If it is for a good reason they should not be marked truant as you never know what they are going through.
@9H22JZH2yrs2Y
My argument is that some kids can have problems at home, family emergencies, or lack of a way to get to school. They should not be criminalized if they're less than 10 minutes late or don't have transportation.
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
Should parents be punished for their children's truancy, or is that unfair to parents facing difficult circumstances?
@9TTJ644Independent10mos10MO
If the parent purposefully and forcefully isolate their kids from important educational activity, then they should be apprehended for indirect truancy and give the child educational assistance. If the child skips school too much, not being disciplined by his/her parents/guardian, then they should be imprisoned for truancy. Lack of discipline is not an excuse.
@TheHillbillyLordRepublican3mos3MO
Forcefully isolating their kids is bad yes. Skipping school out of the child's own will, and the parents not caring should not be a crime.
@9TVL52MRepublican10mos10MO
No, the parents (if not responsible) aren't responsible for their child's decisions when they aren't in their care.
@9TVKLFX10mos10MO
Truancy and school discipline are associated with a host of negative consequences, including a decline in academic achievement, a greater likelihood of dropping out of school, poor health and well-being outcomes, and an increased risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system.
@9TVKY2C10mos10MO
It is unfair to parents who are facing difficulty with their kids being absent for more than 30 days. It is entirely the kids' fault.
@8JJ29SS5yrs5Y
Yes, however, if the absence is clearly a day that was skipped, students should not receive credit for anything due that day or assignments handed out that day. Fall on their own sword.
It should depend on the reason for truancy.. Sickness, death, injury, should excuse it but, missing the bus or oversleeping is not an excuse.
@8LG9KGY5yrs5Y
depends on what the problem is like doing school online ,its really easy to forget to do it because you can get busy with stuff at home
@8HW3FSG5yrs5Y
I don’t really know much about this subject.
@9B55G432yrs2Y
Yes, but only up to a point
@8TP3S49Republican4yrs4Y
No, and increase penalties for school truancy.
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
If a student skips school, do you think they should be punished or rather helped to figure out why they're skipping?
We need to figure out why they're skipping, punishing them may only make the situation worse.
@9TQVXNK10mos10MO
I think they should be punished is they are old enough to understand that you shouldn't
@9TQSKPT10mos10MO
Figure out as punishing will only counter-incentivise them more, but in the case of a serial truant then punish if there's been no resolve.
@9WY3V2N 8mos8MO
Helped first, punishment if help doesn’t do anytning
@ISIDEWITH10mos10MO
Have you ever felt that school wasn't a priority for you, and if so, why?
@9YFVPC4 8mos8MO
During primary school, I didn’t think my education was important. It began to become more important as I became older, though. Especially since I am a male, all of my teachers until middle school were women and they treated us boys horribly. The teachers were highly unqualified because they did not know how to work with the other gender. I wish I had male teachers during primary school. I would have taken my education seriously.
@9YFSM5C8mos8MO
I believe that the American education system fails majority of kids (including me), due to the lack of exploration, outdated curriculum, lack of student-teacher bonding, and producing hive mind thinking rather than individual and critical thinking.
Yes, because a private school had incredibly abusive policies and I felt like my education wasn't valued, but rather my punishment.
@9TQTFDL10mos10MO
I think school has always been a priority for me. It has taught me many things that I would not have learned about without it.
@8NPMJB35yrs5Y
I don't think people should be thrown in jail for missing school.
@9RXP9KX11mos11MO
Yes, it is the school’s responsibility to punish students for unreasonable absence, not the government
@8FR5YWN5yrs5Y
Yes, but only for those who have a good reason.
@8FGKSQX5yrs5Y
Truant students should not recieve jail time, but fines and other punishment are suitable.
They should incentivize attendance instead.
@8FK3M945yrs5Y
It shouldn't be jail time for the parents if the kids are giving them a hard time. Not only that, but when school systems are paying attention to attendance they tend to notice absence of children being abused at home. The schools shouldn't make it criminal for the parents because 10 absences at my high school was a truancy. Kids have doctor's and sick days not covered by insurance. Kids need mental health days and sometimes just need a day off.
No, but provide more exemptions for parents in the case that a student cannot go to school for a valid reason, including sickness/health issues.
@9ZKPQXZ8mos8MO
No, but instead of jail time/fines, it should be examined at the parental level. Oftentimes truancy is the cause of trouble at home.
@9TP3NXB10mos10MO
It would be better to support and care for children and their families rather than simply punishing them.
@9D3RPBQ2yrs2Y
Yes of course, and make sure it’s rehabilitative
@9LF5SCS1yr1Y
a student should not be criminalized for not attending school. More money and effort should be invested in school communities to address the core reasons why students drop out or avoid attending regularly.
@9L74FFC1yr1Y
To an extent, yes; minor-aged students shouldn’t be jailed for it, but the parents absolutely should. This should be considered on an individual level, and the focus should be on the family dynamics that may be leading to truancy
@9GZDTYYIndependent2yrs2Y
School truancy laws should be left to the most local level of government that primarily controls education. That being said, I believe that deliberate absence from school without a reasonable excuse should not be a crime since for young individuals, school is essentially their job, which would make criminalizing school truancy akin to declaring skipping a work shift illegal, which is unreasonable since the consequences for skipping work should be determined by the employer and not the government, the exception of course being government institutions.
@9FZMFMVIndependent2yrs2Y
No, it is OK to miss school if you’re sick, injured or mourning the loss of a loved one, but allowing students to skip school whenever they feel like it, for no reason, will certainly lead to a dramatic climb in dropout and crime rates.
@8MMWQX25yrs5Y
No, but only fine parents
No but each truancy case should be looked at individually and parents should not get jail time or fined if it is not their fault
@8DMKCRG5yrs5Y
Yes, but there should be programs to deal with this better as to penalize the parent and figure out better solutions but for law enforcement to get involved it's too much.
@8F4ZCHC5yrs5Y
Sometimes the kid learns more out of school than in school, but truancy is still bad.
@8F4HDNV5yrs5Y
Yes, unless the student has committed other crimes along with the truancy, the discipline should be up to the school system itself.
@8QBRNB74yrs4Y
Yes school truancy should not be a charge in the first place.
@8DYSJSLRepublican5yrs5Y
Yes, students who refuse to learn should not be required to do so, though the consequences of that failure should be made clear to both student and parents.
@97X39DJ3yrs3Y
No, but only in certain circumstances
Yes, but only for students, not parents.
@8Q973B6Republican4yrs4Y
No, but penalties should be less severe
@8FJH78D5yrs5Y
@97876C33yrs3Y
Yes, but leave it up to the states.
@9725NDH3yrs3Y
Yes, depending on the circumstance.
@8DYCYVZ5yrs5Y
Yes but offer more social services to repeat offenders
@8DWQ5C65yrs5Y
Yes, decriminalize at the federal level.
@8DGDGGV5yrs5Y
Yes. Students in poverty suffer from truancy more than middle class or wealthy students. Criminalizing truancy sets students up for failure. Instead school districts need to hire more case/ social workers to find out what is going on at home that leads to a child’s truancy.
@8QFD7JG4yrs4Y
It should entirely depend on the circumstance and reason behind truancy.
@8FJ6TQS5yrs5Y
@9BM25MV2yrs2Y
@98YB59S2yrs2Y
No, skipping school is never going to be decriminalized. But I do think schools should implement mental health days whereas students have up to 10 mental health days they can use per semester. Teachers will offer support for those that didn't receive instructions to do certain assignments if they were not there on a certain day.
@8WGJZB24yrs4Y
No, but it depends on the situation
@B5YB8G64 days4D
there should be a series of interventions that take place before this measure. jail time is extreme for kids and will only exacerbate an issue when theres likely a deeper reason why theyre not at school.
Yes, it is insensitive an inept to expect children ESPECIALLY teens to want to walk into institutions where some are belittled and power is abused. Fix the institutions before reprimanding and penalizing those trying to escape it
@B5X6NL2 1wk1W
No, but punishment should be reflected onto the student unless it is clear the parent is deliberately affecting truancy.
@B5WRHXB2wks2W
Adolescents and teens do not understand fully to make the decision on the importance of education and attendance.
@B5W4XMR2wks2W
Yes. This law harms those who have other responsibilities. However, disciplinary infractions should be held at school level and it should be handled on a case-by-case basis to ensure proper enforcement.
@B5W4NYT2wks2W
No, but should invest more into our schools to incentivize kids to go, especially in lower income communities.
@B5VQV7L2wks2W
This is hard because kids should be required to go to school; however, many poverty-stricken children are potentially unable to go to school always, and they should not be punished. Other similar reasons/excuses should be included
@PoliticalBlonde 2wks2W
Yes, but only if there's 'reasonable cause' like family issues, mental health struggles, or unsafe school environments.
@B5VMFPX2wks2W
Yes, unless students are skipping, ditching and not attending classes for no PRACTICAL reasoning without a parents/guardian consent.
Deleted2wks2W
No, but punishments should be reflected onto the student not the parents, unless it is clear the parent is at fault. Jail time is extremely excessive.
@B5TFSVLIndependent3wks3W
Yes, but incentivize learning and being educating or give them alternate forms of contributing to society.
@B5SMMTV 3wks3W
The U.S. government shouldn't decriminalize school truancy, but immediately addressing root issues cause of student truancy.
@B5SH7YZ 3wks3W
Yes and spend those times and monies in finding out why the truancy and ways to prevent the truance.
@B5QCTV54wks4W
Yes, but there should be a system in place to understand why truancy has become a problem for them and do something about it.
@B5P23WH1mo1MO
Depends. If the kid is skipping school just to skip school, then no. However, if the student is ill often, and cannot go to school due to the health risks, then yes.
Yes, but only for jail time for students. Adults should receive jail time if they are purposefully keeping their kids away from being educated.
No, parents should be held accountable if they are not allowing their child to attend school or keeping them from an education
Yes, but have a program to address why the student is truant and get them the resources to be in school.
@B5LJWVF1mo1MO
It should be circumstantial. For example, if the child who has missed days of school was unexcused and it was later discovered that it was due to something like poor mental health, a suicide attempt, financial issues within the home, or familial issues, it should not be criminalized and instead become excused. If both the guardian and student make no claims that it was any of the above mentioned, then it shall remain criminalized.
@B5LD8GR 1mo1MO
Decriminalize it, but require the missed time to be made up (or require comprehension testing) before K-12 graduation is possible.
@B5KYVPZ1mo1MO
No, and the government should do more to ensure schools have the resources & require schools to investigate repeated, consecutive absences to ensure student safety & well-being. Too many children have fallen through the cracks and have been lost when nobody investigates their absence.
@B5KXWX5Progressive1mo1MO
If it is mental health issues or issues at school, they should be getting help and offered alternatives that still teach them but is flexible.
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