THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 8, 1995 TAG: 9510060224
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Many people who defend Virginia Beach's new school attendance policy do not understand what the controversy is about. The issue is to readdress this specific policy. I certainly do not object to having firm, consistent, systemwide rules but I want to ensure that all characteristics of the attendance policy are legal, just and fair to all students.
Punishment for attendance-rule violations that takes away an earned grade and causes an otherwise academically successful student to fail for a semester has been described as ``overly harsh,'' and I certainly agree. Lumping all absences (late to class, medical, unexcused) together to form the total number of absences is a nightmare unless parental notification occurs immediate after each occurrence. (Currently, full-day absences require a recorded message to parents but late arrivals or absences from individual classes do not.)
Doctor's excuses do not seem to be required for return to school on single-day absences; however, at the end of the semester parents who must seek a waiver due to exceeding the absence limit risk having their appeal rejected if they do not have proper documentation: Schools find it questionable whether the word of a parent is sufficient to vouch for a child's illness.
The system must addresss accuracy of records and have a better way of providing immediate response and proof of late arrivals and single-class absences. Also, the waiver process makes confidentiality questionable when personal information must be provided to numerous persons who make up the waiver committee. I would feel more comfortable having a conference with the principal than giving written material to nameless persons.
Restrictive attendance policies have been enacted around the country during the past several years to address irresponsible behavior on the part of parents and students. Schools must be accountable and clearly this is a method that has worked.
Instead of focusing on truant behavior, however, Virginia Beach's version focuses on absences across the board without allowing intent to matter, except in the final judgment of the waiver committee. This ``new'' policy is based on the experience of individual Beach schools that experimented with their own policies in previous years.
I ask all involved in evaluating and implementing this policy to keep the best interest of the student in mind; to realize that for students who care about academic achievement and who have worked for and earned a good grade it is devastating to fail. Forced failure does not motivate children to want to continue trying; it simply makes them angry.
Every effort should first be made to address behavior problems and communicate with parents at the first sign of trouble - conferences and phone calls rather than form letters so that preventive measures might be tried to assist the student to better learn responsibility. Administrators and teachers should keep in mind that adversarial relationships between parents and the school do not help children's performance.
Finally, I urge all parents of Beach students to read the attendance policy carefully and speak up if they feel changes should be made. I regret there was not public discussion when the policy was created. As consumers, parents and students should have a forum for expressing their concerns. For rules to be effective, all parties involved have to support them.
I can understand that the job of school personnel is very difficult in the culture we live in, and I would hope that they would understand that my job as a parent is difficult as well. We all must make the best interests of children our priority and work together toward that end.
Jane Williams
Virginia Beach MEMO: Editor's note: Ms. Williams has received an invitation from
Superintendent James L. Pughsley to attend a meeting of parents and
school personnel on Wednesday, Oct. 11, to discuss changes in the
attendance policy. by CNB