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Student spots loophole, plays hooky for a month
Mail Tribune ^ | December 12, 2003 | SANNE SPECHT

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hooky; school
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1 posted on 12/12/2003 12:54:18 PM PST by yonif
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To: yonif
They simply "re-enrolled" her? What about all the stuff she missed? Of course, given the ineptitude of the school officials, she probably didn't miss much.
2 posted on 12/12/2003 12:58:22 PM PST by bobjam
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To: yonif
I bet she gets an A+ in Creative Writing...
3 posted on 12/12/2003 12:58:37 PM PST by danneskjold
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To: yonif
Kim Curry said her 15-year-old daughter, Shashana Avakian...

That's trouble right there.

4 posted on 12/12/2003 12:58:44 PM PST by leadpencil1 (Neds Atomic Dustbin)
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To: bobjam
She may need a Remedial Homosexual Indoctrination class to make up for the lost time
5 posted on 12/12/2003 1:02:40 PM PST by thoughtomator (The U.N. is a terrorist organization)
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To: yonif
Shashana? That pretty well says it all.
6 posted on 12/12/2003 1:04:39 PM PST by Ursus arctos horribilis ("It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!" Emiliano Zapata 1879-1919)
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To: Ursus arctos horribilis
ROFL
7 posted on 12/12/2003 1:07:21 PM PST by yonif ("If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem, Let My Right Hand Wither" - Psalms 137:5)
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To: yonif
She decided her life would be better if she didn’t have to go to school.

She could very well be right.

8 posted on 12/12/2003 1:08:33 PM PST by Lil'freeper
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To: yonif
Smart girl!

"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.

9 posted on 12/12/2003 1:09:06 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Ursus arctos horribilis
Don't know what you're implying there. That is a common Jewish girl's name (actually a spelling variant on the more common "Shoshana").
10 posted on 12/12/2003 1:11:05 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: yonif
She could teach Ferris a thing or two.
11 posted on 12/12/2003 1:13:42 PM PST by mystery-ak (Christmas lights are being put up...but our flag is always flown with pride.)
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To: GovernmentShrinker
I bet she's jewish, yeah that's it! Damn Joooos.
12 posted on 12/12/2003 1:14:26 PM PST by ChadsDad (very series)
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To: yonif
Any kid this smart should be selling used cars.
13 posted on 12/12/2003 1:19:29 PM PST by Old Professer
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To: GovernmentShrinker
I did this for an entire semester in high school:
Showed up for homeroom(attendance)and showed up for the tests. The rest of the time I was gone.

I was a bad boy :^)
14 posted on 12/12/2003 1:20:55 PM PST by mylife
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To: yonif
Brabbin said there have been no other incidents like this in her 10-year stint at the school.

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!!!

15 posted on 12/12/2003 1:20:58 PM PST by Onelifetogive
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To: mylife
Nonsense. You were a very good boy. There was obviously no teaching or learning going on in those classes, so you spared yourself a lot of brain damage by skipping them. I'm sure you're more valuable to society now on account of having done that.

Methinks Shashana will make an impressive mark on the world. Remember the name.
16 posted on 12/12/2003 1:24:15 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: GovernmentShrinker
I just read the books. Who'd have thought you could learn on your own?
17 posted on 12/12/2003 1:28:00 PM PST by mylife
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To: GovernmentShrinker
I expect she could educate herself a lot better than this sorry school could.

Cosine to that (seriesly)

18 posted on 12/12/2003 1:32:20 PM PST by Oztrich Boy ("Noöne has the right not to be offended" John Cleese)
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To: leadpencil1
Shashana...That's trouble right there.

But in the future, she'll be dating Jerry Seinfeld, get the big bucks, and never have to work a day.

19 posted on 12/12/2003 1:33:27 PM PST by ErnBatavia (Taglineus Interruptus)
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To: yonif
I'm gonna get some flames, but that's genius there!!!!
20 posted on 12/12/2003 1:35:49 PM PST by Dan from Michigan ("if you wanna run cool, you got to run, on heavy heavy fuel" - Dire Straits)
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