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Middle Schooler Arrested for Too Many Absences
Townhall.com ^ | December 16, 2018 | Timothy Meads

Posted on 12/16/2018 10:13:05 AM PST by Kaslin

Junior highs are cracking down on truancy across the nation. Some Oklahoma school are going even so far as handcuffing middle schoolers and taking them to the slammer according to NBC 16 WNDU.

Muskogee Public Schools arrested a 14-year-old in Tulsa, OK at school after he missed too many classes. His mother is outraged and says the arrest was an act of abuse.

via NBC 16 WNDU

"It’s my fault! Exactly! It’s not my 14 year old sons fault. He doesn't have a car to get himself there."

Stephanie - who doesn't want to use her last name - says she's upset her son, a student at Alice Robertson Junior High, was treated like a criminal.

"I could visibly see marks on his wrists,” Stephanie said.

Stephanie takes full responsibility for her son's missed absences, but questions why the school had to go to such drastic measures for her son. 

"Even if it's 20, they shouldn't have handcuffed him in front of everybody." But she also said that most of the days he missed were simply from being sick and excused with a doctor's note. As for those that weren't excused, the mother said, "Kids get sick, and they don't always have to have a doctor’s note."

However, the school district says what they did was perfectly legal. 

via NBC 16 WNDU: 

"Four absences in a four week period can lead to a possible citation. That's Oklahoma state statute. It’s been on the books for decades now,” said Steve Braun, Director of Communications at Muskogee Public Schools.

Muskogee Public Schools says they can't comment on specific cases, but Braun says on the fifth absence, a citation is issued and parents must sign, which he says they typically do.

“Parent comes in, signs the citation, and goes about the day."

But Stephanie insists that the experience was "traumatizing" and "unacceptable."



TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: education; enabler; muskogee; oklahoma; truancy; tulsa
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1 posted on 12/16/2018 10:13:05 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Next... CPS gets involved... She goes to jail and we support the kids for the rest of his life.


2 posted on 12/16/2018 10:15:14 AM PST by Bitman
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To: Kaslin

The kid should be taken away from the mother, she’s too stupid to raise a kid.


3 posted on 12/16/2018 10:15:39 AM PST by Ikeon (Sadly, the sheep just voted a wolf as the head chef in their own house. whats for dinner? mutton)
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To: Kaslin

Do they arrest illegal aliens for missing school?


4 posted on 12/16/2018 10:15:50 AM PST by Libloather (Trivial Pursuit question - name the first female to lose TWO presidential elections!)
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To: Kaslin

Time to repeal mandatory education and compulsory attendance laws.

They are as useful and effective as “The War on Drugs”. But in this case it isn’t gangbangers an Mexikins getting rich it is the teacher mafia, i.e. the democrats most reliable voting block.


5 posted on 12/16/2018 10:17:33 AM PST by FreedomNotSafety
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To: Libloather

Sure they will. Every absent butt costs the district aid money. This isn’t about kids getting an education. It’s about putting butts in seats to get state aid.


6 posted on 12/16/2018 10:17:50 AM PST by mewzilla (Is Central America eng its prisons?)
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To: Kaslin

“He doesn’t have a car to get himself there.”

A 14 year old can drive?? It is your responsibility to get your son to school, beotch, er, mom!!


7 posted on 12/16/2018 10:21:16 AM PST by Polyxene (Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.)
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To: Kaslin

In ancient Rome it was illegal to shackle a citizen for any reason.

I guess in modern times it is probably necessary sometimes but I hate the idea that it is a requirement whenever they make an arrest.


8 posted on 12/16/2018 10:22:15 AM PST by yarddog
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To: Kaslin
But she also said that most of the days he missed were simply from being sick and excused with a doctor's note. As for those that weren't excused, the mother said, "Kids get sick, and they don't always have to have a doctor’s note."


9 posted on 12/16/2018 10:22:22 AM PST by Ezekiel (All who mourn(ed!) the destruction of America merit the celebration of her rebirth.)
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To: Kaslin

That picture looks like the fence/gate surrounding the Clinton compound in Chappaqua...I almost said Chappaquiddick...


10 posted on 12/16/2018 10:24:21 AM PST by Thank You Rush
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To: Thank You Rush

Yep gated community. ‘Dad’ probably makes a minimum of $100k a year.


11 posted on 12/16/2018 10:28:41 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: Ikeon

......”Stephanie takes full responsibility for her son’s missed absences”......

Apparently she doesn’t or this situation would not have gone to this far. I tend to think she likely didn’t ‘hear’ the school when they spoke with her about his absences accumulating beyond the acceptable. Likely the kid was skipping out when he wanted to.


12 posted on 12/16/2018 10:28:52 AM PST by caww
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To: Kaslin
Muskogee Public Schools arrested a 14-year-old in Tulsa, OK at school

It was Muskogee, not Tulsa. How could he be skipping Muskogee School at a Tulsa School. Or why would he. Skip one school just to go to another school?

13 posted on 12/16/2018 10:29:15 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie (All I know is what I read in the papers.)
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To: Kaslin
Muskogee Public Schools says they can't comment on specific cases, but Braun says on the fifth absence, a citation is issued and parents must sign, which he says they typically do.

“Parent comes in, signs the citation, and goes about the day."



So why didn't they just issue a citation in this case?
14 posted on 12/16/2018 10:29:22 AM PST by ConjunctionJunction
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To: Kaslin

“Four absences in a four week period can lead to a possible citation. That’s Oklahoma state statute. It’s been on the books for decades now,” said Steve Braun, Director of Communications at Muskogee Public Schools.

Huh, what?! What if a kid has the flu? Chicken pox? Measles? Is in a hospital? That makes no sense.


15 posted on 12/16/2018 10:30:31 AM PST by piytar (If it was not for double standards, the Democrats and the left would have NO standards.)
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To: piytar

It may mean 4 separate absences,not 4 days in a row.

.


16 posted on 12/16/2018 10:32:28 AM PST by Mears
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To: Ikeon

Nice.... public schools are employing state measures to enforce school attendance at gun point and you whistle their tune. Real nice.


17 posted on 12/16/2018 10:32:33 AM PST by Frapster (#judgenot)
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To: Kaslin
Another slave escaping the plantation!

Release the dogs!

18 posted on 12/16/2018 10:33:58 AM PST by Dubh_Ghlase
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To: Kaslin

Is it time to take a look at compulsory education laws?


19 posted on 12/16/2018 10:36:32 AM PST by lastchance (Credo.)
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To: Kaslin

I guess I am on the other side on this one. I had a truant teen once upon a time. I did everything I could to make him go to school. At one point, before I gave up and sent him to “reform” school which was very expensive, I re-arranged my work schedule and went to school with him and made sure he attended class by escorting him everywhere with the permission of the school. He was, of course, mortified. I had one teen come up to tell me that cutting class wasn’t so bad, she cut class all the time, and I was a horrible parent to do this to him. I asked the girl for her mother’s phone number and if her mother told me to stop I might consider it. The girl refused, telling me that if I talked to her mother she would decide to do the same thing. Anyway, if I could have persuaded the police to haul my son off to jail, and let him sit there for a couple of weeks, he might change his mind about cutting class. So, I think this mother should back the school and the police up, not try to take the blame for her son’s irresponsible behavior. As long as the kid thinks his parents are upset with what the authorities did, his behavior is not going to change, in fact I think it will get worse. So, I think this is an excellent idea to combat truancy, the only change I would make is to put a camera and microphone in the student’s classroom(s) and make the kid attend classes virtually. Classroom success would get him out of jail, goofing off keeps him in jail.


20 posted on 12/16/2018 10:37:02 AM PST by erkelly
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