Parents prosecuted due to students' truancy: Who is held accountable--Parents or Teachers?

Brittney Fitzgerald To Whom It May Concern: I recently read an article in the Commercial Appeal that stated nineteen parents were charged in November 2009 for not responding to notices regarding their children’s absences. The parents were not arrested, but were issued misdemeanor citations and have been booked and processed. District Attorney General Bill Gibbons said bringing the parents to court was the only option. He said if the students continue to be truant, or if the parents refuse to enroll them in mentoring classes, he will ask the judge to hold the parents in contempt and seek appropriate punishment. It is now said that a few weeks later, twelve mothers of the nineteen parents agreed to attend parenting classes and enter their children in a mentoring program. So my question is who should be held accountable: parents or teachers? According to the 2008 Shelby County Juvenile Court annual report, 487 truancy cases were reported countywide. City school officials say that they pick up an average of eight truant students per day. The students are from Chickasaw, Cypress, Hamilton, Hickory Ridge, Humes, Sherwood, Vance, and Westside middle schools. For those that do not know, these schools are located in lower income neighborhoods. The mentoring program is located in only five middle schools and students with five or more absences are referred to the program by Juvenile Court. This program was created to reduce truancy throughout Memphis City Schools. The Memphis City Schools also has a hotline that encourages Memphis citizens to call if they see school-aged children not in school during school hours. I feel as though this is a lose-lose situation. Parents should be held accountable, but as far as being prosecuted, I feel that was a bit harsh. On one hand, some of the parents are responsible for their children not being in school due to the lack of concern for the child. On the other hand, you have parents who are present at these homes and do care, but simply can't watch every action that their teenager is taking and are not notified until they give them a citation for truancy. I do think this mentoring program will help both the students and parents plenty if both are committed into bettering the life and future of the child. Parents are responsible for their children. Point blank period. They brought them into this world, so therefore they should know where their children are at all times. I feel that the parents should be more involved with the child and active in the children’s schools that way to prevent students from missing school period. I do find it unfair for a parent, however, to have to get charged for an act his or her own child did. It is an unfortunate event, but it does happen. As far as for teachers, they can only do so much. As a mentor, I have seen teachers who have played the multiple roles of parent and provider to the student. Once a teacher notices a student is missing from class in a number of days, the parent or guardian is contacted. If the teacher does not get a response, then they must do what they have to do as role of the teacher when it comes to grading assignments for that student. Yet once the student finally returns to school and without a letter of absence regarding why he or she was absent from school, BOTH the parent AND student want to get mad at the teacher for the child’s grade of a zero and want to bad mouth them or report them to the principal. That is the teacher’s job. Both parent and child know that if you are absent, you must have a note regarding why you are absent and then it is up to the administrative staff if the letter will be excused or not. I find it unfair for teachers having to receive such treatment when they are simply playing their main role. Considering who these kids are will make the next generation of Memphis, I say it's well past time we did something for these children. These are the needy kids. I'm not sure if throwing all the parents away is going to help, but classes and mentoring are great ideas. Consider these options when it comes to this situation, we do not know how the child would be affected if their parent were locked up. We also do not know what is going on in the child’s household. So instead of pointing the finger at one another, change your lifestyle as a parent and student.. things will eventually become better. Get involved. A change will come.