Truancy In DC HS Is Shocking - Why No Urgency To Address?!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, Jackson Reed is high. Maybe that's how it stays over-capacity-a 1/3 of the kids aren't there on any given day?

We've talked about this before...how poor they are at keeping track. My kid was marked absent on the first day of school for first period even though they weren't required to show up. We've been referred to the court before even though I had proof that I'd written in each time. The vast majority of friends I've polled have issues with the attendance counselor there.

It's hard to work to correct a problem, when you can't even identify the problem.

This is unacceptable. You should bring this to the attention of your Ward 3 constituent services. They were at a coffee this morning, and said they are in good contact with the Prinicipal of JR

DP. I have far many more pressing issues to deal with than try to fix my kid’s attendance record. At the end of the day I just document my attempts in email to be able to send to CPS eventually. Apparently it’s all a joke to everyone in authority so I’m not too concerned.

[Anonymous]

DCPs (and DC in general) isn't trying at all.

[Anonymous]

I’m not saying truancy is not bad but I’d be really curious to see rates this year. Last year students were still expected to quarantine for Covid and many families did not submit documentation to make those quarantines excused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not saying truancy is not bad but I’d be really curious to see rates this year. Last year students were still expected to quarantine for Covid and many families did not submit documentation to make those quarantines excused.

I don’t think that had anything to do with these rates. Kids were not quarantining for a week with covid. Lots of kids just do not go to school in this city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, Jackson Reed is high. Maybe that's how it stays over-capacity-a 1/3 of the kids aren't there on any given day?

We've talked about this before...how poor they are at keeping track. My kid was marked absent on the first day of school for first period even though they weren't required to show up. We've been referred to the court before even though I had proof that I'd written in each time. The vast majority of friends I've polled have issues with the attendance counselor there.

It's hard to work to correct a problem, when you can't even identify the problem.

This is unacceptable. You should bring this to the attention of your Ward 3 constituent services. They were at a coffee this morning, and said they are in good contact with the Prinicipal of JR

DP. I have far many more pressing issues to deal with than try to fix my kid’s attendance record. At the end of the day I just document my attempts in email to be able to send to CPS eventually. Apparently it’s all a joke to everyone in authority so I’m not too concerned.

Agreed. The problem with this data is that it’s all junk — DCPS has no idea which kids attend school and which don’t. I got constant text alerts from DCPS that my kid wasn’t in school, and he’d share his location with me and I could see him sitting in the building where his class was (it wasn’t like he was hanging out in the gym or the atrium).

[Anonymous]

Better student-teacher ratios tho!

[Anonymous]

Just want to send a shout out to all the education "researchers" who so frequently lecture us on why social promotion is the best outcome for kids. Combine social promotion with mass truancy and you end up with an entire generation of poor kids who can't reasonably function in society.

Tell us again about your commitment to "equity"? Because it feels like a commitment to performative nonsense.

[Anonymous]

On the other side of the coin, I’m getting tired of the repeated nasty grams DCPS is sending me for excused absences. My kid missed a week with a high fever. I’ve gotten emails, texts, letters, and voicemails reminding me how important it is to be in school. I’m expecting Hagrid to break into my cabin any minute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the other side of the coin, I’m getting tired of the repeated nasty grams DCPS is sending me for excused absences. My kid missed a week with a high fever. I’ve gotten emails, texts, letters, and voicemails reminding me how important it is to be in school. I’m expecting Hagrid to break into my cabin any minute.

It's like traffic tickets. If you just ignore it, nothing happens, it's only if you care that it has an impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the other side of the coin, I’m getting tired of the repeated nasty grams DCPS is sending me for excused absences. My kid missed a week with a high fever. I’ve gotten emails, texts, letters, and voicemails reminding me how important it is to be in school. I’m expecting Hagrid to break into my cabin any minute.

The funny thing about this is lots of kids have the wrong phone number, no email, wrong address, etc. in the system. So most of those letters and texts go no where.

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why parents have no accountability in all of this? Minors can’t be convicted of anything even though they are terrorizing the city, not bothering to go to school etc. start arresting the parents. But this also again underscores how useless a DC diploma is at most schools- ballou test scores are basically 2% of kids on math grade lee k and with a 50% truancy rate? Its basically a building kids can pop into for theee free meals and then get a diploma and be completely unqualified for anything

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to send a shout out to all the education "researchers" who so frequently lecture us on why social promotion is the best outcome for kids. Combine social promotion with mass truancy and you end up with an entire generation of poor kids who can't reasonably function in society.

Tell us again about your commitment to "equity"? Because it feels like a commitment to performative nonsense.

You think expelling kids or having them drop out would make them better educated adults?

[Anonymous]

Truancy is great. More money and smaller class sizes for kids who want to be in school.

Truants need jobs and law enforcement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the other side of the coin, I’m getting tired of the repeated nasty grams DCPS is sending me for excused absences. My kid missed a week with a high fever. I’ve gotten emails, texts, letters, and voicemails reminding me how important it is to be in school. I’m expecting Hagrid to break into my cabin any minute.

I am glad not to be alone in my anger about this. These are excused absences so don't you think we know about them? WHY are you telling us - repeatedly! It's just enraging when there are so many more things in this world to be enraged about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the other side of the coin, I’m getting tired of the repeated nasty grams DCPS is sending me for excused absences. My kid missed a week with a high fever. I’ve gotten emails, texts, letters, and voicemails reminding me how important it is to be in school. I’m expecting Hagrid to break into my cabin any minute.

I am glad not to be alone in my anger about this. These are excused absences so don't you think we know about them? WHY are you telling us - repeatedly! It's just enraging when there are so many more things in this world to be enraged about.

We get those fun missives every year when my kids are out for Jewish holidays. I'm not going to do anything beyond vent privately, but dang it's annoying!