Absences down by over 300
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- According to AISD officials, truancy is one of the main reasons to have summer school, but this year those classes won't be too full, because the number of absences in Amarillo districts, is down.
We spoke to Palo Duro High School Principal Kevin Phillips, who says that keeping kids in classrooms, takes a team effort. To keep kids from failure, from everyone from administrators, to truancy courts.
"From a high school perspective it's really how do we prevent failure for kids and keep them on track," Phillips said, "and one of the ways we do that is to keep track of their attendance and to recruit their parents and or truancy courts help, to keep them in school."
Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Nancy Bosquez adds to that, that students have to be accountable, too.
"I always stress to the child that the choices that they are making now will greatly affect their future, weather they succeed, weather they fail is being greatly affected by their actions today." Bosquez said, "and I think it's very important that the child understands that."
Bosquez says that she understands that every case is different and sometimes there are unavoidable situations for absences.
If a child is found to be truant in a court, it is a Class C Misdemeanor, and depending on the child's age and court, the parent can be held accountable and fined.
