There is no getting around it. High rates of absenteeism and low
academic performance go hand in hand. For proof, look no further
than Gilroy High School, which has an abysmal 92.58 percent
attendance rate, the worst in the Gilroy Unified School District.
Not surprisingly, the high school’s Academic
There is no getting around it. High rates of absenteeism and low academic performance go hand in hand. For proof, look no further than Gilroy High School, which has an abysmal 92.58 percent attendance rate, the worst in the Gilroy Unified School District. Not surprisingly, the high school’s Academic Performance Index score of 654 is also the lowest in the GUSD.
That’s why we agree with the no-nonsense message the district is currently sending to students and parents: When it comes to classroom attendance no excuses will be made for the chronically absent.
GUSD attendance officer Frank Valadez, with the conspicuous backing of the Santa Clara District attorney’s office, is putting teeth into truancy laws by prosecuting repeat offenders in the secondary schools. Miss three days of school and they’ll consider you a truant. Miss five and you’ll earn habitual truant status and a School Attendance Review Board (SARB) hearing. Miss nine days and you can prepare for a court date resulting in a monetary penalty or a stint on the highway cleanup crew. In cases where the courts consider parents grossly negligent, prison time isn’t out of the question.
We heartily applaud this effort to round up and prosecute perpetually truant students and their legal guardians. The simple fact is that absenteeism leads to low grades, and low grades lead to dropping out, and dropping out perpetuates the cycles of despair, poverty, and criminality.
Given the support services available, there really is no acceptable excuse for absenteeism or tardiness.
Whether you are a parent who is legitimately over-worked, or a parent – or a student – who simply cannot get out of bed before noon, all you have to do is ask for assistance. Can’t figure out how to set an alarm clock? The district provides a wake-up service. Have legitimate difficulty with the logistics of getting to school? Call the district and ask for help with transportation services. Social service agencies like Community Solutions provide additional support.
The fact is that an enormous amount of funding, resources, and effort are dedicated to helping chronically absent students get an education, which is why we remain skeptical that the effort to put some bite into the truancy laws will result in significant improvement. The habitually absent and tardy seem prepared for one thing only – the next lame excuse.
That is sad because for economically disadvantaged children, chronic absenteeism and tardiness is the surest way to remain economically disadvantaged. Conversely, just showing up – getting yourself to school before the first bell rings – is the obvious first step in breaking the cycle. As one teacher told us, “If you can just get your child to school, and get them there on time, I’ll teach them.”
