children out of school in america - University of Tennessee Digital ...

many other school policies, truancy is a matter of
diverse meaning and haphazard enforcement. School
officials disagree on how to define truancy, how
much of a problem it is, and how best to cope with
it.28 Yet many school officials suspend children for
truancy often without inquiry into its cause. While
school data on truancy are abysmal,29 our survey
shows that, along with tardiness and cutting classes,
truancy is one of the largest. causes of suspension and
other disciplinary action, causing 24.5 percent of all
suspensions. In some tracts we surveyed the percent
of children suspended who were suspended for truancy
or tardiness was astounding:
Springfield, Massachusetts-
Census Tract 8008 50%
Columbia, South Carolina - Census Tract 5 41 %
New Bedford, Massachusetts-
Census Tract 6510 38%
Sumter County, South Carolina - Precinct 2 35%
Denver, Colorado - Census Tract 41.01 31 %
Holyoke, Massachusetts - Census Tract 8112 30%
In Portland there was strong consensus in both
the central administration and among the school
principals of both high schools that students are fre-
28 Definitions of truancy vary censiderably both within and
among school districts. They are often vague or contradictory.
The laws are written in such fashion as to leave the
parent and child uninformed about whether or not they are
in compliance. The Massachusetts statute defines as punishable
an absence for seven days or fourteen half-days
within a six-month period by a child between ages 7 and
16. In Somerville, Massachusetts. the Assistant Superintendent
defined truancy as an absence without permission or
parental knowledge. (Interview with John Joyce. Assistant
Superintendent, Somerville. Massachusetts. 11/5173.) One
of the attendance officers defined it as seven days consecutive
absence from school. (Interview with Gus Barrasso, Attendance
Supervisor, Somerville. Massachuselts, 1117173.)
One of the attendance supervisors in New Bedford. Massachusetts.
defined truancy as a "nonexcused absence" for as
short as a day. but an elementary school principal there
considers truancy a "judgment thing." He does not put a
time definition on truancy but instead says he looks at the
total picture. (Interview with Henry Andrade, Attendance
Supervisor. New Bedford, Massachusetts, 12/5173; Inter..
view with William Keavy, Principal. Donaghy School, New
Bedford, Massachusetts, 1215173.) In Autauga County,
Alabama, the Superintendent told us a child is "truant" depending
on the number of days he/she missed from school.
There is no set number, however, which automatically
qualifies a child as truant. (Interview with Edwin C. Riddle,
Superintendent of Schools, Autauga County, Alabama,
2174.)
64
quently suspended for truancy. "We suspend when
we can't get parents to cooperate with us for continued
absenteeism if they just aren't making an effort
to be in school. After the suspension, we try to
get them to make some kind of commitment. "30 Both
principals said that truancy is the most common
ground for suspension. 31 Davenport, Iowa officials
also say that truancy is one of the three primary reasons
for suspension. 32 In Sumter County No.2, S.C.,
the Student Handbook says that not only will a oneday
suspension be given for each class cut, but that
continued cutting may result in expulsion. 33
A few school officials we interviewed rejected
expulsion or suspension as the proper way to handle
truants. The Chief Attendance Officer in Springfield,
Massachusetts, for example, said he prevailed on
schools not to suspend kids for truancy "because it
serves no useful purpose. "34 An elementary school
principal explained that he never suspends a child
for truancy and has never taken anyone to court on
a truancy charge: "I want them in here," and would
rather find out why a child is not coming to school.35
29 In most districts we surveyed, no precise records were
kept on children with unexplained absences or those found
truant. The only records consistently maintained deal with
average daily attendance. Holyoke had a school by school
study of average daily truancy, but only for the period between
Thanksgiving and Christmas (less than one month)
in 1972. Springfield records 506 truants for 1972-73, but
the Chief Altendance Supervisor said that the number is
"wrong." "There were more truant that the Attendance Supervisors
knew about but the schools may not have." 1973­
74 was the first year truancy records were gathered by race
and ethnic group and reported monthly. (Interview with
Arthur Cagan, Chief Altendance Supervisor, Springfield,
Massachusetts, 12/5173.) In one Massachuselts district,
we located one altendance supervisor at II a.m. in a bar,
with the truancy records in the trunk of his car.
30 Interview with Clyde Bartlelt. Assistant Superintendent,
Portland, Maine, 7119173.
31 Interview with Donald Hale, Principal, Deering High
School, Portland, Maine, 10124173. Interview with Walter
Hansen, Principal, Portland High School, Portland, Maine,
10125173.
32 The other two are smoking and fighting. Interview with
Dr. Daryl Spaans, Director of Secondary Education, Davenport,
Iowa, 11/9173.
33 Ebellezer Illformer, Students Handbook. 1973-1974, p. 12.
34 Interview with Arthur Cagan, Chief Altendance Super.
visor, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1215173.
35 Interview with Fleming Cocchi, Principal, Elias Brookings
School, Springfield. Massachuselts, 11/6173.
36 Interview with Tom Allen, Principal, Horace Mann Junior
High School, Denver, Colorado, 11/6173.