Oklahoma in the National News again...

[D. Hargrove]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/2...ine-students-for-tardiness-missing-class.html

A high school in Oklahoma is cracking down on students for tardiness and missing class.

Officials at Muskogee High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma are reportedly enforcing a state law that would allow the school to fine students $250 for missing classes repeatedly without an excused absence. The law also states that students could be imprisoned for 15 days for the same reason. It was not immediately clear what would happen if the fine wasn't paid.

Muskogee High School Principal Kim Fleak told KTUL that the fine would apply to students who are late or miss class four times in four weeks, noting that the fines are set by the state and are meant to hold students accountable. "We had some attendance issues, so this is one of those ways that we're trying to combat. It's important to us that kids are in school, in the class, receiving that instruction,” Principal Kim Fleak told KOCO 5.

That said, some parents are not happy with the school’s decision. And at least 400 students have signed a petition that challenges the school’s enforcement of the law, KTUL reported.

"There's no way that I could afford a $250 fine," Johanna Hondy, whose daughter attends Muskogee High School, told KTUL. "I don't know anyone in this town who can afford that really."

A spokesperson for Muskogee High School was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Fox News on Saturday.

A tenth grade student at the school, Abigail Cochran, is one of the students who signed the petition. She said that getting to and from classes in five minutes might be difficult for students who are commuting across campus.

"There are people wanting to dropout of school because of this, because they know they can't pay these fines," Cochran said, suggesting a better option to punish students would be detention.

That is one way to get book money, teacher raises, new footballs......

 

[65ny]

Good. I hope this works... also, who gives a crap if the students signed a petition. All they have to do is have good attendance; that isn't diffucult.

 

[MacFromOK]

SHRIEK! NO! Not the "A" word!

Accountability is a lost art.

 

[Dave70968]

"There's no way that I could afford a $250 fine," Johanna Hondy, whose daughter attends Muskogee High School, told KTUL. "I don't know anyone in this town who can afford that really."

Gee...if only there were a way to avoid it....

A tenth grade student at the school, Abigail Cochran, is one of the students who signed the petition. She said that getting to and from classes in five minutes might be difficult for students who are commuting across campus.

This is a legitimate defense; if the school's design makes it impossible to traverse in the allotted time, then either the time needs to be extended (easy) or the class schedules need to be arranged such that a cross-campus traverse isn't necessary, except possibly during lunch (probably a lot more difficult).

Something tells me, however, that this isn't meant to be enforced between classes, but rather for arrival at the start of school, which negates the argument entirely.

 

[Poke78]

Gee...if only there were a way to avoid it....

This is a legitimate defense; if the school's design makes it impossible to traverse in the allotted time, then either the time needs to be extended (easy) or the class schedules need to be arranged such that a cross-campus traverse isn't necessary, except possibly during lunch (probably a lot more difficult).

Something tells me, however, that this isn't meant to be enforced between classes, but rather for arrival at the start of school, which negates the argument entirely.

Good points all down the line with one small reminder that it only takes one administrator with a bee in its bonnet about a student or a group of students to grab the tardy stick and start wielding it without regard to the common sense you espouse here. Then everybody's oxcart is in the ditch...

 

[caojyn]

I support the threat of violence to make kids attend school

 

[steelfingers]

Good. I hope this works... also, who gives a crap if the students signed a petition. All they have to do is have good attendance; that isn't diffucult.

I surprised the kids that signed the petition can write. A small mind is a small thing to waste

 

[Dave70968]

Good points all down the line with one small reminder that it only takes one administrator with a bee in its bonnet about a student or a group of students to grab the tardy stick and start wielding it without regard to the common sense you espouse here. Then everybody's oxcart is in the ditch...

The citation (link, in this case) to the statute gives me a place to look. The statute is 70 O.S. 10-105. A little bit of reading shows it to be a misdemeanor, which means going through the district court, with the full panoply of rights that apply to any other criminal prosecution (including due process, and the opportunity to mount a defense), not just the whim of an administrator. Moreover, the $250 fine is the maximum for the third or subsequent offense. Section (D):

D. Any parent, guardian, custodian, child or other person violating any of the provisions of this section, upon conviction, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished as follows:


1. For the first offense, a fine of not less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) nor more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00), or imprisonment for not more than five (5) days, or both such fine and imprisonment;


2. For the second offense, a fine of not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), or imprisonment for not more than ten (10) days, or both such fine and imprisonment; and


3. For the third or subsequent offense, a fine of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00), or imprisonment for not more than fifteen (15) days, or both such fine and imprisonment.​

Section (B) also suggests that my interpretation of "attendance" is the correct one; even if not, though, the defense would be a good one.

And, as an aside, I really appreciate the citation to the statute; very, very few news articles give good references, and it's a whole lot easier to get the details when the references are provided.

 

[druryj]

Thank you for clearing this up for us.

 

[dennishoddy]

I support the threat of violence to make kids attend school

Me too. A swat on the A$$ would make them get up and get to school. Some of the parents would need swats at well.
Just imagine what would happen if the factory you worked in didn't care what time you came in, took break or ate lunch when time is money/profit?
School is nothing but training for what happens in later times when your not in school.
Getting up early enough to go to school is going to relate to going to work later in life.
You have to establish the regimen when they are kids to move into adults.