16 parents charged with not sending kids to class
The number of Cherokee County parents arrested this year due to their child missing school has more than doubled compared to last school year.
From July 2019 to July 2020, authorities arrested seven parents for violation of school attendance laws. But between July 2020 and the end of March, police have arrested 16 parents for not sending their kids to school.
“It’s bothersome that we have to turn down a legal avenue, but we have to be able to lay eyes on kids regularly to make sure they’re OK,” Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Jeana Conley said.
Per state law, school officials must investigate and meet with parents whose child has accumulated 10 unexcused absences in a single school year. Parents or guardians who have not made a good faith effort to comply with compulsory education laws may face criminal charges.
If convicted of the misdemeanor, the parents may have to pay a fine and perform community service. Additional convictions for the same crime could result in jail time.
Officials believe the increase in truancy is caused by the chaos brought on from restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, some county students attend school in-person two or four days a week, while others do not enter the building at all, choosing to learn completely remotely.
“Families, at this point, have even fewer resources and find themselves falling into bad routines,” Conley said.
“With the out of ordinary procedures of online learning, I think some folks are having trouble finding ways to hold their kids accountable. Either they don’t know how to hold their kids accountable, or they may not have the resources to do it.”
Officials say high school youth have more success attending online instruction than younger students. However, kids of all ages have struggled with school attendance during the pandemic. Moreover, online instruction has led to a degree of “unfinished learning” districtwide.
“We have not been able to cover all of the material that is expected within the time period we’ve been given,” Conley said. “The learning curve [for teachers and students] has been tremendous.”
The increase in truancy has also led to a greater problem.
“Yes, we are concerned about the number of failing students,” Conley said.
School personnel were not able to immediately provide data regarding the number of students on a failing trajectory; however, Conley said the percentage is greater today compared to last school year.
“We have a serious number of students in elementary and middle school being considered for retention,” she said.
“We do not like retention at all, especially in a year when a kid shouldn’t be held back because they didn’t have the opportunity or didn’t take the opportunity to excel. That’s different than needing to repeat because they didn’t [understand the material].”
As an alternative to holding students back a year due to low attendance or failing grades, school officials are considering whether to administer a competency-based achievement exam.
“Instead of saying a kid has to spend a certain number of hours in a class or do a specific amount of work, we’d give the student a chance to prove whether they’ve mastered the content of the class,” Conley said. “If you’ve mastered multiplication, you shouldn’t have to sit there for another five weeks.”
Officials are also planning summer academy activities that focus less on remediation and more on enrichment. Examples include a carpentry class, where students use geometry skills to build a model tiny house; and mathematics games, where students find math in real-life situations.
“Typically, students begin to regress in the summer because they are taking a break away from books, reading and the curriculum. But we hope to not only stop the summer slide but to use the summer to [fill the gaps in] some of that unfinished learning,” Conley said. “Kids seem to learn quicker when they’re enjoying what they do.”
Although COVID-19 has brought on serious challenges to teaching youth, educators have drawn some positive outcomes from the pandemic. For example, educators have learned how to better communicate with students.
“I’ve seen a really great change in some teachers who have realized that they’re there to teach students and not just their subjects,” Conley said.
“I’ve had teachers tell me this has been a harrowing and tough experience, but it has really enlightened how they will run their classrooms and do their jobs the rest of their lives.”
In addition, despite the increase in truancy arrests, school officials noticed many parents today are generally more engaged with school requirements than they were prior to the pandemic.
“A lot of them have even gained a deeper connection to the curriculum and to the students,” Conley said. “Families have reshaped what’s going on at home. They are now talking about classes and spending more time together.”