New Anti-Truancy Campaign Announced

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg announced the formation of a new Mayoral Interagency Task Force to combat truancy and chronic absenteeism at city schools. "Truancy is often a child's first step in the wrong direction. Chronic absenteeism leads to higher rates of school failure, delinquency, and dropping out. From there, it is often hard to recover...The sooner we can identify the cause of truancy and absenteeism, the sooner we can get that child back on track," the Mayor said in a press release.

According to the Mayor's office, nearly 20 percent of City elementary school students missed one month of school or more last year, and research shows that 3 out of 4 students who are chronically absent in the sixth grade never graduate from high school. This comes on the heels of the news that Mayor Bloomberg's big budget cuts will severely effect an Administration for Children's Services program focused on preventing abuse and helping families in trouble. The preventive services program got a push after the death of Nixzmary Brown, the 7 year old who was repeatedly brutally beaten by her stepfather and had been absent from school 46 days.

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By Ben Yakas in News on June 11, 2010 5:03 PM

Comments [rss]

longacre

Announcing this plan just when school is over for the summer seems very odd.

gawkthis

i know a way he can keep the kids in school: stop fucking planning to charge them to ride the bus to class - leave their MTA passes alone!

so1337

"The sooner we can identify the cause of truancy and absenteeism, the sooner we can get that child back on track,"

Take a look at your schools!

Diocletian

I'll tell you what would help these kids get to school. Student Metrocards.

Oh wait...

eyekantspel

How about we stop making education an entitlement, maybe after 8th grade? Kick bad students out. Offer work-study alternatives to those kids who just aren't up to book-learning; shop classes, auto repair, MTA union jobs, whatever.

We force our school system to serve two purposes (1) educate the good kids and (2) police the bad ones; seems like a wasted effort.

Bike Rider

lots of really poor countries do this. trust me it's not the best solution

neutral observer

"The sooner we can identify the cause of truancy and absenteeism, the sooner we can get that child back on track,"

How did this guy become so rich? Let's see:

1. absentee fathers

2. hoe mothers who may or may not even know who the babies father is.

3. drug addicted mothers

4. single parenthood is an "alt. family structure" and therefor just a good as a two parent family. (contrary to every study ever done).

5. Parents who are so self centered that they just don't care and don't instill discipline to the their offspring.

and on and on. But don't worry, the government school systems will fix it. If not the corrections system. either way, the rest of society pays for the shiftless and stupid.