Is Truancy a problem?

It goes by many names: Senioritis. Playing hooky. Or just skipping school. But is it really a big deal? I mean you can get in serious trouble for skipping school. Even face jail time for such an action.

According to FindLaw.com, “Chronic absences from school affect more than a student’s grades. Absenteeism and truancy are often indications of deeper issues affecting the student, the school and the community as a whole. Some school districts estimate that as many as 75 percent of chronic truants eventually drop out of school.”

So how does it impact students at Milford High School?

¨It’s senior year. I sit in class and want to run home!” said Senior Sydney Phipps.

A survey recently published at Getschooled.com cites data that “as many as 7 million students – about 15% of the K-12 population – are out of school 18 or more days of the school year.  And many of them don’t think skipping school will impact their future.”

Many students will argue that skipping school isn’t a big deal. Students feel as though it should be their right to either go or not go to school. Who’s to tell them they have to come to school?  

“It affects my grades only if I miss the same class a few days in a row but it’s usually not that hard to catch up depending on the class and the teacher,” said Phipps. “There isn’t much to get away with. I usually just sleep in and miss school, so I come in pick up my work and go home and do it. 

The consequences of school truancy are pretty severe considering how small of an offense it is. According to truencyprevention.org,

“Students who are chronically truant typically fall behind in grade level and drop out of school. Students who are chronically truant are also at-risk for other behaviors, such as alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and delinquency. Students who are chronically truant require extra time from teachers; teachers have less time to spend with the regularly-attending students in the classroom when they must create make-up work for truants.”

Another student at Milford High school had another view on skipping school. “ It really affects my grades! But hey, school is boring; I’d rather chill at home.”

Are there any solutions to getting kids back in school? According to a study done by CNN, “ Students also said that encouragement from anyone to whom they felt a personal connection, from teachers to coaches to celebrities, could influence better attendance.”