totally OT question - truancy?
There is a family that lives near me with four kids. They are not sending the kids to school. They are not homeschooling. School here started Monday and every day the kids have given me a different reason they didn't go to school. The latest is that they don't have their birth certificates so they can't enroll.
I am concerned that they aren't going to school, so I called the superintendent's office to ask who I would report truancy to. The secretary said she didn't know. She gave me someone's voice mail to leave a message but no one has called me back.
I called children's services in my county. They said they did not deal with truancy and did not know how does, but suggested I call the school.
I called the state department of education. They said they do not know who I should talk to and said they would have through children's services would handle it.
Apparently no one cares in this state if kids go to school or not.
Is there someone else I should call? Can parents really just not send their kids to school and not homeschool them and it is no one's job to even look into it?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
How do you know they are not homeschooling?
I have two kids, who have never gone to school. We consider ourselves homeschoolers, but in actuality we unschool, which is child-led learning, or life learning. We do not follow any curriculum, but I assure you my children do learn and even a brief conversation with either of them would put anyone's mind at ease about that.
In Ontario (where I live) you almost have to prove abuse or neglect before anyone interferes. The stories I hear usually involve CAS (Children's Aid). I have never had any dealings with them personally, so I can't really say any more than that.
Anyway, I guess my point is that homeschooling looks different for every family, which brings me back to my question of how you know they aren't homeschooling.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26(3):
"Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children."
Well, the kids and the mom have told me they are supposed to go to school.
Monday one of the kids said they didn't go to school because they missed the bus. Another of the kids said they didn't go to school because mom didn't register them in time
Monday evening I saw mom when I was out walking my dog and she was telling the kids they had to go home and have dinner and get ready for school the next day.
The next day one of the kids said they were unable to go to school because they didn't have their birth certificates.
So I am taking their word for it that they are not home schooling.
I am actually a big fan of homeschooling. But I don't think that's what they are doing.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Right. That doesn't sound like homeschooling, unless homeschooling happens to be illegal where you are (which I highly doubt) and this family is terrible with lies. That's really messed up. I'm surprised the actual school the kids should be attending aren't doing anything. Don't schools get funding based on the number of pupils enrolled? Surely they aren't all so young that this would be their first year in school??
Crazy.
Edited to add that I finished reading the thread and see there is a resolution. :-)
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states in the US. The laws vary a bit from state to state, though. In some states, like Ohio, you just have to notify the school board that you are home schooling. In some states, the parent in charge of home schooling has to have a high school diploma, in some states they don't. In some states, you have to provide the school board with a written curriculum you are using, in some you just have to give them a letter that says "I am homeschooling my kids."
The youngest kid is 7 so they've all been in school before. But they just moved to this school district over the summer.
Hopefully it is resolved now.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
It is supposed to be illegal here to keep your kids out of school, too (unless you are homeschooling, and in Ohio, you must notify the school board if you are homeschooling). But I guess in this state no one is in charge of enforcing it?
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
The only thing I can find for the state of OH, is the state board of education. But I would call the local sheriff's office. It is sad that any parent would keep their kids from learning. Also I would call the local school board for your county.
https://www.ohiobar.org/ForPublic/Resources/LawYouCanUse/Pag es/LawYouCanUse-243.aspx
I called both the local school board and the state school board. Both told me they don't know who deals with truancy reports.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
