“Family is the first school for young children, and parents are powerful models.” Pearl S. Buck
The Common Council receives a monthly report from our police school liaison officer Jody Johnson. The truancy report caught my attention. I was shocked to see truancy is occurring at such a young age. Sadly truancy is an issue that exists in all four of our public schools.
When a student misses school, it is recorded on the attendance log. According to Act 239, a student is considered truant if absent without an acceptable excuse for all or part of a school day. A habitual truant is a pupil who is absent without an excuse for part or all of five or more school days during a semester, whether consecutive or not.
School officials send a letter to the parent of the student when the child has missed at least five days. The letter advises them the truancy process has begun and their student needs to attend school or face truancy consequences.
Act 239 allows a municipality (county, city, village or town) to enact an ordinance prohibiting a minor from being truant.
It is eye-opening to learn the number of truancy issues that progress on a monthly basis to the level of involving the school liaison/police department. During the month of March, there were six truancy issues at Hillcrest Primary School; 36 at Olga Brener Intermediate School; 14 at Shawano Community Middle School and 42 truancy situations at Shawano Community High School.
From Sept. 1, 2014, through April 28, Officer Jody Johnson issued 71 citations totaling $14,472. Only $3,519 has been collected, leaving a balance of $10,953.
The penalty for truancy ages 12 and 13 year olds is $100 and the penalty for ages 14 to 17 years of age totals $187 for the first offense. If the truant child is under the age of 12, the parent can receive a citation for contributing to truancy. According to Wisconsin Statute 948.45 a parent or guardian of habitual truants can be charged criminally and in addition to fines, have exposure to jail terms.
Officer Johnson remarked, “I would rather not write citations for truancy. However, by the time a citation is issued, the school district has written letters, made phone calls, and in some cases even made home visits. Citations are a last resort in trying to get the student/parent to see the seriousness of the truancy.”
She continued, “We should not view truancy as simply a school problem; this is a problem that should be a concern of our entire community. We all play an important role in the lives of our youth. Certainly the responsibility for ensuring the child is attending school lies with the parent/guardian. However, we should all be positive role models and encourage our kids to attend school and obtain their high school diploma. Our youth are our most valuable assets. We need to encourage them to become educated and productive; they are the future of our community.”
Municipal Judge Myron Heistad commented, “Truancy is a local, state and national problem with no easy solutions. As Judge, one of my main objectives is to obtain compliance from the offender. I spend time with each juvenile after the case has been adjudicated, talking with them about the importance of education.
He added, “Juveniles who are found guilty but do not pay the forfeiture have their license suspended for two years. Each offense results in an additional two year suspension. It is my hope that every child would grow up in a loving home, with parents who instill a love for learning and school in their children.”
School age children/youth belong in school or a home-based private education program. Let’s work together to try to keep our community youth in school.
The answer to last week’s trivia question, what four grocery stores were located on Main Street in 1972, is A & P CO, Ecke Food Mart, Red Owl Store Inc. and South Side Grocery.
This week’s question is, who was the administrator of the Shawano Convalescent Center Inc. located at 1436 S. Lincoln St. in 1974?
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