Yep, our police force has taken steps to make the streets of Knoxville safer for all of us. They are arresting and jailing parents whose kids skip school.
From KnoxNews.com:
Garren warned the children that they could be charged with truancy if they're 14, 15 or 16 years of age. She also warned parents that they could be summoned to court and put on probation to assure that their children attend school. About two dozen parents have violated that probation and have had to serve five or 10 days in jail, most on the weekends, she said.
The fact that our police spend any time on this, not to mention jail space for the parents, is ludicrous.
With jail space at a premium, shouldn't it be reserved for the ones who need it, you know, murderers, rapists, robbers, investment bankers, and other scum? Why waste a cell on some poor schmuck working two jobs to make ends meet whose kid sneaks out of class?
Yes, parents need to be accountable for the actions of their children, but is jail really the answer?
Posted by Rich at April 23, 2003 11:50 AM | TrackBackRich, it's all about the benjamins. Schools get a rate per day per child. If your child is a no show, they don't get the bling.
Posted by: SayUncle on April 23, 2003 11:55 AMI heard that. One of my daughters was placed in a speech therapy class because she didn't pronounce her r's. I worked with her one night and had her saying r in several ways, but the school insisted on putting her in the class for a year. I couldn't figure out why it would take them that long when I was half way home in one night. (I told her to growl like a dog, then had her add that sound to r words like rough, ready, rumble, and so on.)
Then I found out that the school gets additional funds for every special needs child and the light went on.
Pathetic.
Posted by: rich on April 23, 2003 12:04 PMCouldn't they just make the parents stay after school in detention?
Posted by: Bjorn on April 23, 2003 1:48 PMI agree parents should be responsible for ensuring their kids are in school when they're supposed to be, but I do think jail is too harsh.
Why aren't "punishments" like community service used more often? Seems like requiring delinquent parents and their kid(s) to spend a weekend cleaning up the cig butts at the Papermill Rd. eastbound exit might be a good way to remind them to make sure their kids are in school.
Posted by: Barry on April 23, 2003 2:07 PMamen to that. Community service makes much more sense, and include the little ne'er-do-well, not just the parents...
Posted by: rich on April 24, 2003 12:43 AM