Truancy improves in area schools
By Deborah Bennett Millen News Editor

Confronting truancy, the unexcused absence of a student from school by either the parent/ guardian or the school, is a continuous effort, according to Becky Thomas, truancy services coordinator for Jenkins County. However, progress has been made.

"I anticipate the number of referrals to be less this school term than last year," Thomas said, noting that currently there are 13 ongoing cases.

She attributes the improvement in school attendance to the fact that parents and guardians are becoming more aware of Georgia's Compulsory Attendance Law and the consequences they may face if their children are determined to be truant.

"As people have heard about it more, it is starting to make a difference," Thomas said.

The law states that any parent, guardian or other person residing in Georgia who has control or charge of a child residing in Georgia between six and 16 years of age is required to enroll that child in school and see to it that they attend. Under provisions of the law, each day a student is absent from school after having accumulated five days of unexcused absences, whether consecutive or not, can constitute a violation of the law.

Students at Jenkins County Elementary School and Jenkins County Middle School are required to present a parent note for each absence. Parent notes will not excuse more than eight absences within a school year unless accompanied by a doctor's note. Jenkins County High School students must present a parent note or doctor's note for any absence with parent notes limited to four per semester.

Procedures and penalties for violation of the attendance policy include parent notification, school truancy coordinator's notification, caseworker assignment, court intervention and driver's license denial for the student.

Lawful, or excused absences include the following: serious illness within the immediate family father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, child or relative residing permanently and continuously in the student's home, which necessitates the student's absence from school (a doctor's statement is required for verification); personal illness and when attendance in school would endanger a student's health or the health of others; death within the immediate family is the same as stated for serious illness, and to include grandparents (the principal or school can verify by personal knowledge or other verification); special and recognized religious holidays observed by the student's faith, which requires an absence; medical or dental appointments that are verified by an official appointment card or memo from the doctor; absences mandated by order of governmental agencies, mandated by court order or court subpoena as a witness; conditions rendering attendance impossible or hazardous

to student health or safety; absence for the purpose of registering to vote or voting, for a period not to exceed one day; serving as pages in the Georgia General Assembly; away from school while participating in an approved school-sponsored activity; any student who gets sick at school and has to go home (the principal is authorized to make the final determination to the validity of the illness); and the principal shall have the authority to declare legal absences that are due to recurring, periodic illnesses, which are supported by a doctor's statement describing the nature and fact of the illness.

Unlawful, or unexcused absences, includes: car trouble; oversleeping; running errands; missing bus; cutting/skipping class; lack of electricity; lack of transportation; and taking care of family business.

"It is also interesting to note that 80 percent of those persons incarcerated in Georgia's prisons and correctional institutions did not complete high school," Thomas said.