Have you seen the proposal by the mayor of New Britain? He wants to fine students who skip class $75 per day.
As I understand it, if a student between the ages of 6 – 17 is found during school hours, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, they would be issued an infraction.
The objective is to reduce school dropout rates and keep children “off the streets” thereby reducing the risk of engaging in delinquent behavior. Other cities have apparently passed similar legislation with positive results.
Of course, I support all children attending school. However, there are few issues with this proposal:
Police forces in most municpalities are already leanly staffed. Will they designate truant officers to enforce the mandate or will enforcement fall on officers on patrol? The law is only as good as the enforcement.
If the child contests the infraction, they would presumably appear in court. Most Juvenile Courts have already seen a steady increase in the volume of cases which they handle since the age for juvenile offender treatment was raised. Therefore, I am not sure the Juvenile Court system would be able to timely adjudicate these cases. Or these cases may simply be given low priority. The law is only as good as the enforcement.
Here’s an article on the topic: New Britain Schools Want To Curb Habitual Truancy – Hartford Courant