"Everyday, hundreds of thousands of students are absent from school without a legitimate excuse." (Baker, 2000) Every year, cities, states, and school districts across the country announce new initiatives designed to entice, counsel, threaten, or coerce kids to attend school but poor attendance still remains a problem. Good attendance involves not only the student, but also teachers, family, and the community.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, truancy is the first sign of trouble in a young person's life. "It is also the first indicator that a student is giving up or losing their way." (U.S.) Student nonattendance is a problem that extends much further then the school. It affects the student, family, and community. "Police departments across the nation report that many students who are not in school during regular hours are committing crimes including shoplifting, vandalism, and graffiti." (Baker) Absenteeism is detrimental to students' achievement, promotion, graduation, self-esteem, and employment potential. Clearly, students who miss school fall behind their peers in the classroom. .
In the four years that I was at Carmel High School, the attendance policies were revised in attempt to reduce student truancy. When I was a freshman, the only consequence to truancy was a detention or an in-school suspension. Now Carmel has a low tolerance for truancy. On a student's first truancy, an in-school suspension is assigned and parents are notified. On a student's second truancy, two days of in-school suspension are assigned and the parents are notified again. On a student's third truancy, two days of out of school suspension are assigned and the parent's are notified. A student's 4th truancy is assigned to out of school suspension for a week and a referral to the Carmel court. When I was a sophomore, Carmel High School implemented a program called "Skip a Final." At the end of a semester, a student has the opportunity to skip any final they want if they have no record of unexcused absences and less than two days of excused absences.
