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Kids tardy too often, parents go to court

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

Starting in August, parents or guardians of children chronically late or absent from Fayette County schools could be sentenced to jail time now that the Board of Education has signed off on tough new protocols on attendance and tardiness.

The policies, required by law following General Assembly action last year, have been under review all this school year.

They are intended to crack down on truancy problems that led many of Georgia’s school systems to fail the Adequate Yearly Progress requirement that 95 percent of students be counted.

Local school officials admit the issue isn’t much of a problem in Fayette County, where student attendance has traditionally hovered in the 96 percent or better range, but having policies in place is required nonetheless.

“We don’t have a lot of people who violate this,” said Assistant Superintendent for Operations Wayne Robinson. He explained the final draft protocols for both unexcused absences and unexcused tardies before board members unanimously approved them Monday night.

A protocol committee headed by Fayette County Superior Court Judge Paschal English helped write the policies, Robinson explained.

The Student Attendance Protocol Committee includes representatives from the Department of Family and Children Services, the school system and juvenile court system and will meet monthly starting in August to hold parents accountable when their children are in violation of the policies, Robinson said.

By law, the procedures apply to all students between the ages of 6 and 16 who are enrolled for a minimum of 20 days each semester, Robinson said.

After five cumulative unexcused absences or tardies within one semester, the school will notify parents by first-class mail of the absences and a summary of the consequences.

After 11 unexcused absences or tardies within a semester, the attendance/residency officer will report the violations to the Protocol Committee to determine if court action will be pursued, Robinson said.

Parents whose children are found in violation of the policies could face several penalties, including a fine of not less than $25 and not greater than $100, imprisonment not to exceed 30 days, community service or any combination of the three, Robinson said.

“We’re not going to be arresting a lot of parents out there,” he said. “But this is something that the legislature is requiring us to do, and it’s designed to reduce the problem of parents who, for whatever reason, aren’t making their kids go to school.”

The protocols apply strictly to unexcused absences or tardies, he pointed out. Lawful absences include personal illness or doctor visits, death in the immediate family, religious holidays, instances in which attendance would be hazardous (such as inclement weather), service as a page in the state legislature, court order or to vote in an election.

Locally, Robinson said he expects most violations to occur in the elementary grades. Middle and high school students have added incentives, such as participation in extracurricular activities, to encourage them to be in class, he pointed out.

Further, teens between the ages of 14 and 17 risk the threat of losing their driver’s license privileges if they don’t maintain acceptable school attendance, Robinson said, something else the protocols address.

Attendance rules are clearly outlined in the student code of conduct sent home to parents at the start of each school year, Robinson said. Starting next fall, all parents and students ages 10 and older will be required to sign and return copies showing they’ve read the protocols and understand the consequences, Robinson said.

“The state of Georgia is serious about students being in school and we want to make sure we do a good job of making sure the public knows about this,” he said.