Honors student arrested for truancy...it gets worse.

reply to post by snowspirit


It's illegal until you turn 18.

Originally posted by KeliOnyx
When you get to the real world if you don't show up for or are late for work, it doesn't matter that you can produce that time missed in your first hour or not you will get warned and fired.

Well, that actually depends on the job. I managed a call center for a few years, and if a call agent showed up late, it didn't matter how stellar they were while they were there. If you didn't show up for your shift, that meant calls that didn't get answered. But I have worked in other industries (advertising) where the killer performers could take long lunches, come in late and leave early, and it was overlooked.

I think where school is concerned, we have to remember the point of school. To get an adequate education. It sounds like Ms. Tran wasn't having any problems in that regard. There should have been some leniency here.

Said judge should have had social worker(s) evaluate her case earlier, and he *failed* to do so...

I'm pretty sure most schools allow seniors, if not juniors, to have limited (reduced) school days for work experience and that would have avoided the truancy issues.

Especially in the case of an AP/Honors student...where I live here in the states, many of these go to college campuses (off the high school grounds) for classes.

Bless her heart...

reply to post by hoochymama


Depends on the job and even those benefits have been widely ended. You may get a decent manager that will tell the complainers that when you can do the job they do you could do it too. But largely you will be warned just as she had been several times. This was not her first infraction nor her first time in front of the judge for it. This is apparently a problem for her. The court could do better by her but this is Texas we are talking about here where they will happily throw people to the wolves to give themselves a better chance.

No one has mentioned that she could have just dropped out of school, instead of working and taking honors classes. It would be much easier to quit school. But she did not. Instead, she was trying to better herself and support her family.

We should be encouraging and assisting students who want to finish high school, not arresting them.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
reply to post by snowspirit

 

It's illegal until you turn 18.

Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that, ever.
I quit school at 15, which is legal here, and went back in my 20s for night school, then went to college.

Here, if you miss too much school, usually they just tell you not to waste their time, and they kick you out.

reply to post by KeliOnyx
I would say at least 75% of all jobs get some kind of sick day and/or vacation. I am not really understanding the position in this case of "she should of known better" or whatever the other side wants to point to as this was her fault in some way.

But, being in Texas sure does explain some of this.

Edit: Medical Leave for Pregnancy is LAW Jury Duty etc.

reply to post by snowspirit


In the U.S., it depends on where you live, only some states have the rule that you have to stay in school until you are 18. In Nevada and California there are many dropouts, and they are not arrested or prosecuted.

I once spoke to a high school administrator in California who told me "We have our hands full with the kids that are here, so we do not really care who is not here."

According to Rumberger, all you have to do is look at the 21 states where the compulsory schooling age is already 18. In Nevada, the dropout rate is 58 percent; in Louisiana, it's 43 percent; in California, it's 37 percent. The other 18 states aren't much better.

Higher Dropout Age May Not Lead to More Diplomas

reply to post by fnpmitchreturns


They need to check with that older brother. He may be extorting from his sibling.

In a free country, I don't like truancy laws, and I don't like curfews.

Not sure what else to say, but we really gotta quit saying America is a free country.

Wow lol

I had no idea you could actually be arrested for truancy.

I've seen it in the movies and on tv-shows, but I thought it was just something from the 60's or something.

Does every state do this?
Any other countries out there do this?

As usual, there has to be more to this story. Why would she be supporting her older brother that is somehow affording Texas A and M? I know plenty of people here at Florida State that supported younger siblings, but never the other way around. That makes no sense.

It also makes no sense that she was "too exhausted" to go to school, yet she had good grades? She would have been better off to go to school and make mediocre grades. OR, go to school and go back to sleep! That's what I did my Jr. and Sr. year. I was in Math League, and was a Math Counts champion, and I arranged my schedule so my first class every day was a math class, and a football coach of mine. This way, I could get to school, and go right back to sleep! I also arranged friendly teachers right after lunch, so after lunch I could go to the gym and either goof off, or make weight for wrestling.

I was set to be ranked in the top 3 of my class, but I did get into trouble for missing too much class my Sr. year, and rather than risk not graduating, I decided to graduate early. Graduating early cost me my class rank, even though I had enough credits and grade points to still be ranked in the top 3.

Anyhow, I don't think this article is telling the whole story.

Originally posted by snowspirit

Originally posted by RealSpoke
reply to post by snowspirit

 

It's illegal until you turn 18.

Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that, ever.
I quit school at 15, which is legal here, and went back in my 20s for night school, then went to college.

Here, if you miss too much school, usually they just tell you not to waste their time, and they kick you out.

Actually in most States the legal dropout age is 16 Ohio included. However if you drop out anytime before you turn 18 in Ohio you forfeit your driving privileges until you turn 18.

Originally posted by getreadyalready
As usual, there has to be more to this story. Why would she be supporting her older brother that is somehow affording Texas A and M? I know plenty of people here at Florida State that supported younger siblings, but never the other way around. That makes no sense.

It also makes no sense that she was "too exhausted" to go to school, yet she had good grades? She would have been better off to go to school and make mediocre grades. OR, go to school and go back to sleep! That's what I did my Jr. and Sr. year. I was in Math League, and was a Math Counts champion, and I arranged my schedule so my first class every day was a math class, and a football coach of mine. This way, I could get to school, and go right back to sleep! I also arranged friendly teachers right after lunch, so after lunch I could go to the gym and either goof off, or make weight for wrestling.

I was set to be ranked in the top 3 of my class, but I did get into trouble for missing too much class my Sr. year, and rather than risk not graduating, I decided to graduate early. Graduating early cost me my class rank, even though I had enough credits and grade points to still be ranked in the top 3.

Anyhow, I don't think this article is telling the whole story.

It's true, we don't know the whole story, but I can see a scenario where this fits.

When my mom and dad were first married (right out of high school), my mom worked to support my dad and their two babies while dad was going to college. Mom also did all the cooking, cleaning, and primary child rearing, while also editing/typing dad's papers AND working a full time job at a bank. My dad's responsibilities? Just go to classes, study and make good grades. Oh, he also had a football scholarship, so he had to go to football practice and football games. My mom did all this because she knew that my dad would eventually get his degree and get a decent job to support the family. Then the plan was for mom to go to college. Maybe that's what these two siblings have arranged. Who knows?

Also, the girl might be doing her studying while working her night job, hence the good grades, but the exhaustion as well.

I still think the judge could have been a little more understanding of her particular situation (no parents, multiple jobs just to get by), and found a way to help this kid, instead of just sending her to jail.

reply to post by hoochymama


FMLA and jury duty don't even come into play in this as you have to meet certain defined qualifications to use them. It is her responsibility to get the assistance she needs. She has been in front of this judge for truancy before. This is not her first offense there is a clear pattern. Obviously she isn't a moron she knows what will happen if she misses school. The fact is students are required to attend class a certain number of days in the school year, or it is automatic failure regardless of what grades you have.

Yes she should be lauded for trying to do what she can in difficult circumstances. And yes there is a failure on the school system and the court for not finding assistance for this child. Or for going after her parents for what they have done. But ultimately she is the one that needs help it is her that has to speak up and ask for it. And I have yet to understand where her brother is in all this mess and why he is not helping.

reply to post by RealSpoke


In Texas the legal age to drop out of school is 16. It is mandatory to attend school between the age of 6 to age 16. You can legally quit school you can not be truant from school. More BS laws. She is jail because wh wanted to continue her education.

Originally posted by KeliOnyx
The fact is students are required to attend class a certain number of days in the school year, or it is automatic failure regardless of what grades you have.

Well, that's pretty stupid (the requirement, not you ) I mean, I would assume the whole purpose of the requirement to attend a certain number of days is to make sure you don't get behind on your schoolwork, thus causing your grades to slip, right? But if your grades are fantastic, why should it matter if you are missing days??? I think kids should be able to test out of courses, especially during the last two years of high school. If you already know what you're supposed to learn, why stick around to learn what you already know? Especially if you need to work to support yourself (and the rest of your family).

How do we know that she hasn't asked for help in the past? Maybe the judge said, "not my problem". He sounds like the kind of guy to say that.

reply to post by kaylaluv


It would be possible the judge would say something like that I personally have little to no faith in law enforcement anyway. But the school would know where to send her and who she should call. She isn't the first person in the world to have to deal with these types of issues. But the fact remains even in Texas there are places to help her, there may not be many but they are there. But more often than not if you need help you still have to ask for it.

Also if her grades are that good and being in the situation she is in, I have to ask why she has not tried to graduate early. There are just too many ways to avoid this kind of thing that she could apply for This story just seems incomplete and missing details.

reply to post by KeliOnyx
The only pattern I see is Honor Student, Taking care of her Siblings including paying for a Expensive College Education, Full Time Job, Part Time Job, extremely Mature etc. I dont see her as a Criminal like you do.

Originally posted by KeliOnyx
reply to post by kaylaluv

 

It would be possible the judge would say something like that I personally have little to no faith in law enforcement anyway. But the school would know where to send her and who she should call. She isn't the first person in the world to have to deal with these types of issues. But the fact remains even in Texas there are places to help her, there may not be many but they are there. But more often than not if you need help you still have to ask for it.

Also if her grades are that good and being in the situation she is in, I have to ask why she has not tried to graduate early. There are just too many ways to avoid this kind of thing that she could apply for This story just seems incomplete and missing details.

edit on 25-5-2012 by KeliOnyx because: (no reason given)

Well, my opinion is that this girl had fallen through the cracks and was let down by the system. I can't believe the school wasn't aware of her situation - if not, they should have been. If I were a school principal, I would have seen she wasn't showing up for school, then I would have looked at her records and seen her exemplary grades. I would call her in my office and asked her "what's up?" I would then try to find ways to help her (offer her early graduation,etc.). If someone cared enough, they could have reached out to her - maybe she didn't know what her options were; maybe she was afraid to speak up too loudly for fear of her younger sibling being taken away.

The part about the missing parents is the most bizarre element of this story to me. How do you just go off and leave your kids to fend for themselves? Very strange.