Posted on 08/31/2026 10:09:50 PM PDT by Libloather
Detroit public schools have an absolutely hideous rate of chronic absenteeism. But their solution is even worse — paying kids to show up.
A newly expanded program could see middle and high school kids making as much as $500 or $1,000-a-year, respectively, in gift cards for simply attending class.
The district claims it creates an incentive for kids to show up — it’s called the “Perfect Attendance Pays” program — but it’s a desperate, last-ditch attempt to fix a much deeper cultural crisis.
The program is actually teaching toxic life lessons: that simply showing up is some sort of accomplishment, and you’re entitled to be rewarded for doing the bare minimum.
The initiative has been in effect for high schoolers for two school years. The district announced this month that middle schoolers will also be eligible.
It’s an attempt to chip away at the daunting fact that a full 60.9% of students in the district were chronically absent as of the 2024-25 school year, meaning they missed at least 10% of school days.
For 10 weeks between the new year and spring break, when the district’s historical data proves kids are especially unlikely to show up to class, a five-day week of perfect attendance is redeemable by high schoolers for a $100 gift card and $50 for middle schoolers per week for up to 10 weeks.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Riiiiight. As if mom and dad aren’t going to steal that money from them. Well, mom, anyway. Who knows where the hell dad is.
Bring back reform schools or jail the parent(s).
I’d like to know their plans for verifying 100% attendance. They’re mistaken if they think there won’t be chronic truants on the payroll. Local news stations reporting on this issue never include video clips of High School students seated in the classroom. They always show you the heartwarming imagery of the good little boys and girls in elementary school. Why do they go so far out of their way to further enable this bullshit?
$1000 buys mom a lot of licka at the licka stow!!!
Discipline?
Some states pay schools based on students showing up - - reimbursed per student per day. This looks like their sharing the loot with the kids.
Twacher employment program
lol
I’m going to disagree. It’s pretty hard to get perfect attendance, and if your peers are all ragging on you for “acting white” and you do it anyway, I’m not mad if after all that, you get a little prize. I don’t think that’s a bad lesson. Because it’s not just about “showing up,” it’s about resisting all the bad influences and peer pressure around you.
I’m with you on this. The ones getting the money are not the ones who never show up. They are the ones who make a valiant effort to attend , against all social pressure. Their parent/s play a big part in that.
As long as the gift cards are for relevant items, it’s a start.
EC
Wondering if there are any “reparations gift cards” for those who attended regularly earlier on in their schooling before this was happening. I had 12 years of good attendance before this program started up so I missed out.
The payout should be $1000 invested in the student’s Trump Account. Achieve perfect attendance and earn $1000 in your account. Watch that money grow and buy a car when you turn 18. Or keep it growing and start a business with you’re 30.
When we had out first kid, my wife had a $1000 retirement fund from her then employer. We invested it in a high-risk mutual fund. Never touched it. 35 years later we liquidated much if it to pay some medical expenses. It had grown to almost $40,000.
Woody Allen famously said that “80% of success is showing up.”
if you want to give these yutes an incentive to show up and learn something, start having field trips to Skid Row and other Homeless encampments so they can see the other options available...
They may be able to get warm bodies in the seats by paying them, but how are they going to get knowledge into those brains?
Hennessey no doubt. Maybe some grape phillie blunts.
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