Posted on 12/12/2003 12:54:17 PM PST by yonif
EAGLE POINT — A surprised mother discovered earlier this month that her daughter had used a loophole in her high schools’ enrollment system and permanently checked herself out without parental permission.
Kim Curry said her 15-year-old daughter, Shashana Avakian, hoodwinked school officials and Curry while she was truant for more than a month.
"My first thought is the same as I know everyone else’s: ‘How could I not know?’ " said Curry, a working mother. "But our routine looked the same. She talked about homework. I had no idea until she finally confessed to me."
Curry said Shashana recently moved in with her, after living with her father and grandmother in California.
Curry enrolled her daughter in September. By Oct. 29, the girl had figured out a way to get out of class — permanently.
Curry said Shashana told her later that she hadn’t made new friends easily and particularly hated her biology class. She decided her life would be better if she didn’t have to go to school.
At that point, she said, Shashana took the school’s single sheet enrollment drop form, which did not require a parent’s signature, to her teachers and had them sign her out of class.
"Nobody asked any questions," said Curry.
Eagle Point High School Principal Mari Brabbin described the incident as "one of those very bizarre situations."
Brabbin said Shashana’s escapade did reveal a flaw in the school’s policy and the school’s release form has since been reviewed and rewritten.
The new form not only requires a parent’s signature, it requires parents to get the teachers’ signatures themselves.
"The truth of the matter is we got snookered," said Brabbin. "We’ve changed every form in this school in the 10 years I’ve been here. We just hadn’t changed this one. And, we assumed the parent was involved."
If Shashana snookered the school into believing she was transferring to another school, she also had her mother convinced she was living life as a typical sophomore.
"She got up every morning and got dressed for school," Curry said. "I got her report card. It was all A’s and B’s."
In fact, Curry said, her daughter often went to school for lunch during this period.
Curry said one teacher asked Shashana why she wasn’t going back to class after school. Shashana told the teacher she was no longer enrolled. Brabbin acknowleged that a teacher did see Shashana on campus during her hiatus from academia.
"But, unfortunately, the teacher did not report the incident," said Brabbin.
Curry said Shashana finally voluntarily confessed on the evening of Dec. 3.
"She told me what she’d done," said Curry. "I couldn’t believe it. And this is a kid who basically likes school. What is happening to the kids who hate school?"
Brabbin said there have been no other incidents like this in her 10-year stint at the school.
North Medford High School Assistant Principal Buzz Brazeau said the policy for discontinuing enrollment at both Medford high schools requires parental contact.
Brazeau said there have been incidents where students and parents have moved without providing notice. In that case, Brazeau said, state law requires the student be dropped from enrollment.
"But, we still try and make contact with parents," he said.
Brazeau said 18-year-olds can check themselves out of school without parental permission.
"Federal law states we have to honor a student’s constitutional rights," said Brazeau.
As for Shashana, Curry said her daughter was re-enrolled, and is enjoying being a "real" student again.
That's trouble right there.
She could very well be right.
"I got her report card. It was all A’s and B’s."
I'd like to hear a little more explanation of how that happened.
"She told me what she’d done," said Curry. "I couldn’t believe it. And this is a kid who basically likes school. What is happening to the kids who hate school?"
This whole story leaves me inclined to give the girl an A, the mother a C, and the school a big fat F. The girl is obviously very bright and not a troublemaker. I expect she could educate herself a lot better than this sorry school could.
i.e. Incidents where kids fooled the system then turned themselves in. Of course, she has NO IDEA how many incidents there were that were "like this" EXCEPT the student never admitted it!!!
Cosine to that (seriesly)
But in the future, she'll be dating Jerry Seinfeld, get the big bucks, and never have to work a day.
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