GETTING STUDENTS TO SCHOOL IS DUTY OF CARING PARENTS

A while back, the Kennett School District was experiencing a high rate of truancy. About 10 percent of its student population skipped school each day. So the district called upon a seldom-used statewide educational neglect law. Since the start of school, two parents have been sentenced and several others have met with the prosecutor.

Maximum penalties for this misdemeanor include 15 days in the county jail and a $300 fine or both.

The notion of criminal charges when students don't show up at school may take many parents aback. Children, especially teen-agers, can be mighty rebellious. But children both need and deserve a good education. Parents should be held responsible for seeing their children are properly educated, especially in a country where public education is free.

Society suffers from a lack of personal responsibility. It fuels the explosion of lawsuits. It is easy to point the finger of blame at someone, or something, else.

Parents are children's first teachers. Their actions and attitudes teach children about personal responsibility. Much of the time, responsible parents raise responsible kids. If parents think school is important, so will their children.

Truancy isn't always a clear-cut issue. It may involve a single parent who has to go to work before school starts. It may involve a teen-ager who has lost interest in school. Many parents may not even be aware that their children are missing so much school. But it is easy enough to find out. Schools keep meticulous records, because it is a basis of state funding. Parents who care enough about their children's education will find out about their attendance record.

Everyone has a stake in student attendance. In Kennett, high absenteeism was also tied to growing juvenile crime. Children with nothing else to do got in trouble.

Average daily attendance also determines the amount of money a school district receives from the state. When children miss school, the school loses money. If revenues continue to fall, schools may turn to taxpayers to make up the difference.

Most children attend classes. Average daily attendance runs well over 90 percent in most schools. But in some larger school districts, even that high percentage means several hundred students are missing class each day.

In Kennett, one child last year missed 80 of 178 school days. Others have missed more than 30 days. Few children are that sick.

About five years ago, many school districts eliminated truant officers as a way to trim budgets. Kennett has hired its back. Actions in that school district seem to be making a difference. Attendance has increased to 94 percent from 91 percent since the start of school. That is a significant increase of which the district should be proud.

No one wants to see parents jailed for truant children. But the youngsters need to be in school. If school districts have to get tough, so be it. It is time parents, schools and society demand a return to personal responsibility.