Posted on 11/17/2011 6:48:42 AM PST by wintertime
Chief District Court Judge Brenda Branch has ruled that Halifax County (NC) parents are going to be held accountable for their children’s school attendance — and that could mean jail if they are not deemed to have made an effort to promote school attendance, writes the Daily Herald.
The proposal is a collaborative effort between the Halifax County court system, three public school systems and county agencies that are looking to address truancy issues for students in the district.
It was announced this week at the Halifax County Community Child Protection Team meeting. Branch, along with District Attorney Melissa Pelfrey delivered the message as many heavy hitters in the Halifax County law and public education fields rallied behind the proposal.
“There was much confusion around who’s responsibility it was to handle truancy that some children were missing from 40 to 80 days from school without suffering any consequences,” said Arnethia Nicholson, chair of the team and Halifax County Department of Social Services employee.
The combined efforts of the school systems, Halifax County court system, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Social Services and The Community Child Protection Team resulted in the Tri-District Truancy Procedure, which could ultimately land a parent in front of a judge.
Well you misread my moniker because no where in it does it say that I ran and hid in my home. I do teach my children at home. They also learn at homeschool co-op, church, sports (soccer and basketball), theatre, field trips. They work at the local food bank packing boxes and handing out food. They are currently helping with Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child and with the renovation of an old high school gym. They are working beside other children and adults to rebuild the gym for community use. In a couple of weeks they will be volunteering for Angel Tree Ministries to provide Christmas gifts to the needy in our town. They raise money on their own to support missionaries around the world. We are currently planning a mission’s trip to Russia with our entire family. My children are anything but ‘home’ oriented.
My husband is a youth pastor. We have had ample opportunity over the years to see what goes on in public schools. Some of it would make a sailor blush.
The graduation rate in our current town is about 50% and many that do graduate are illiterate. I have plans underway to start an adult literacy program. I need some funding and we are working on that.
Sometimes I wish I could hide at home.
Oh really? Citation please, or is that just your personal opinion?
When I enrolled my child in public school I voluntarily agreed to see to it she attended a certain number of days, much in the same way my parents did when they enrolled me in Catholic school, many moons ago.
Your choice of homeschooling shows your claim of unconstitutionality to be the fallacy it is.
Stop the attacks on homeschoolers. This is FR, not Democrap Underground.
christianhomeschoolmommaof3, I stand with you as a fellow homeschool parent.
Stop the attacks on homeschoolers. This is FR, not Democrap Underground.
christianhomeschoolmommaof3, I stand with you as a fellow homeschool parent.
(Post formatting corrected)
No....The reason we have never seen these studies is that they don't exist. “Professional” educators simply the assumption ( false or not) that spending $11,000 or more per kid per year works.
You are in no position to accuse me of attacking homeschooling.
Wintertime and I have disagreed on public school for years, however, I believe she will back me up that I have always been supportive of homeschooling, I just chose not to do so as it doesn’t work for my family.
I expect an apology for your out of line and uncalled for attack.
Shame on us for exercising our First Amendment rights.
I hope there's a shredder in your home-skool so you can teach your home-skool kids how to shred the Constitution.
“Your choice of homeschooling shows your claim of unconstitutionality to be the fallacy it is.”
In fact it is quite the opposite. I have the right as a parent to direct the upbringing and education of my children. The state has no right to compel me to put my children into public school (even though they will if I don’t provide instruction).
If you have voluntarily entered into an agreement to send your child to school for a certain amount of days, then that is your choice.
How does my choice to homeschool prove my assertion a fallacy? Just because something is law doesn’t make it constitutional(think abortion).
The Constitution protects us from the intrusion of government in our daily lives and clearly lays out the role of government. If you would care to show me where the Constitution ALLOWS government to FORCE parents to place their children in a institution I would be happy to reopen the debate. Obviously since, compulsory attendance is the “law of the land”, this would be considered my opinion. Just as I consider it a judges opinion that homosexual marriage and abortion are rights.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000075.asp
Sorry I meant to include this link. BTW, I am not saying that education is unconstitutional. I am saying that the state FORCING you to enroll your child in unconstitutional. Compulsory attendance is just that and now they are backing it up with the threat of jail. I am not sure why anyone would have an argument with that.
I was really just speaking tongue in cheek when I said I would rather them be on the streets. I would rather them be wherever their parents said they could be. If that is school then they should be in school. If that is working on the family farm then they should be on the family farm. I believe in parental rights and not compulsory attendance.
Once again, wintertime...go back and read my Comment #12.
My initial point was that parents are finally being held responsible for their kids being in school. I didn’t say, once there, the kids would be taught the way you, the unions, the teachers or your grandmother would prefer they be taught. However...
If you don’t like the schools...CHANGE THEM, either with your vote, or your participation in the school system.
Compulsory is not voluntary, except in the “1984” Big Brother world of compulsory, prison-like schooling. What is this an attempt at “New-Speak”?
Regarding the First Amendment and compulsory socialist K-12 schooling:
Why are socialist K-12 schools unconstitutional? Answer: Because of the plain meaning of the words of the First Amendment !
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Free assembly: Children can not freely assemble with the people of their parent's choice if they are **compelled** ( that means police threat) to be in their prison-like socialist school! Only in the Orwellian world of government schooling can Free Assembly be made to mean “Compelled” assembly.
Establishment of religion: It is impossible to have a religiously neutral school. At the moment the government schools establish the religion of godless secular humanism. It is NOT religiously neutral to force a child to think and reason godlessly any more than it is to force them to think in a God-centered manner.
Free exercise of religion: For most of their socialist school day, the children are under police threat not to speak, and their movements, and free assembly with others, are strictly controlled. Well! **That** puts a damper on free exercise of religion.
Free speech and press and definitely abridged in any socialist K-12 school.
The above can not be fixed because “free” can never mean “government compulsion”. Only in the world of “new-speak” can this be so. The only possible solution is to begin the process of privatizing universal K-12 education.
You tell me. How can one make police, court, and prison compelled schooling into something ( anything!) that would be compatible with the plain meaning of the First Amendment?
You are contradicting yourself.
I voluntarily entered a contract with the local school district for my daughter to attend their school, I was not forced to do so. That you have chosen to homeschool your children and my parents chose to send me to Catholic school proves there is no force involved.
There are consequences to not abiding by a contract you freely entered into and you agree to them when you agree to the contract. I voluntarily enrolled my daughter in the local school and voluntarily agreed to the terms of that enrollment.
If you are arguing the federal government does not belong involved in K-12 education, then I am with you 1,000%. I was a senior in HS before the federal DOE came into existence. One of the major failures of the Reagan Administration was not fulfilling his campaign promise to get rid of it.
Thanks for the defense but I don’t feel attacked. Compulsory attendance is dangerous to homeschoolers as well as public schoolers. They keep lowering the age to begin and raising the age that they finish. Soon they are going to want them at 6 weeks old.
You’re right.
Shutter the schools, put the kids on the streets, don’t hold the parents responsible, and everything will be JUST FINE.
Better yet. The $11,000 that was mentioned earlier? Give it to the parents along with their newly found irresponsibility, and tell them they are now in charge of their kid’s education. (I’m pretty sure there’d be a run on the latest I-Phones and 60” plasma screen TV’s.)
I hope you’re prepared for the consequences...I know I am.
My dear - please tell me what is compulsory? I do not have to send my daughter to public school, it was a choice I made. The fact I have a choice belies the claim of compulsory.
Well, gee, I'd like to do that, but for some strange reason I have not been successful in changing my participation in the funding process for godless state indoctrination centers.
On second thought, I withdraw my suggestion that you get involved with your local school system.
I'm thinking you should stay as far away from public schools as possible.
I am not contradicting myself. The state can FORCE attendance if they want because of the compulsory attendance laws. I think this is a violation of the Constitution. If your daughter has reached the compulsory attendance laws you better have her in school somewhere (public, private, homeschool). Our compulsory age was 7 and now it is 5. My son wasn’t ready for school at 5. What if I hadn’t been able to homeschool him? I would have been forced to put him into school.
My homeschool is still under state compulsion. If I fail to meet state requirements, they will force my children into public school.
I admit my post 28 was confusing. The state should NOT have the ability to tell me what to do with my children but with compulsory education they do. I MUST start their education at 5 years old. I MUST continue it until they are 17. If they fail their standardized tests or fail to meet certain state requirements for two years, I MUST enroll them in public school. What if they fail in public school? Too bad I have no recourse to bring them back home.
If my son wants to finish his education early and start work as an apprentice at 16, he may not. If a father needs his son to stay home and work on the farm at 15, too bad, he must be in school. Don’t you think it is best to leave educational decisions to parents and not to the state?
Again it is compulsory because you MUST put her in school and it MUST be for a certain amount of time (5-17 or whatever your compulsory ages are). If you do not do this, you will be FORCED to by the truancy officers. Now you could face jail for it.
You do not have a choice in this.
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