DC Councilmember David A. Catania is proposing a bill that would hold parents liable to prosecution if their children miss twenty or more days of school. The bill is cosponsored by four of the other thirteen Councilmembers: David Grosso, Yvette Alexander, Marion Barry, and Jack Evans. With high dropout rates, and statistics showing high numbers of teenagers missing twenty or more days of school, Catania’s bill is aimed at improving education in the District. Parents would receive written warnings after ten unexcused absences, after twenty they could be prosecuted and sentenced to parenting classes or community service. Ostensibly, the threat of prosecution should inspire parents to play more active roles in making sure their children are getting to–and staying in–school.
There is opposition to legislation that punishes parents for their children’s behavior and attendance at school. Some point to parents working two to three jobs in order to support their families, who may not have the time to ensure that their kids are getting to school. Others insist that the accountability of the teenager can not be discounted–teenagers may intercept warning letters sent from schools, or slip out of class even after parents have watched them enter the building.
Although improving school attendance is an important goal, just how it should be done is up for debate.
