[Youth-list] A Tool to Encourage Attendance

[Randi Mezzy]

Nice concept for discouraging middle-- and upper-class teens from
cutting school, although it is their parents who ought to be taking away
the keys to the BMW when the kid cuts school.  
 
However, the people I represent can't afford cars for their teenagers or
themselves and often, the tenns leave school in order to earn money to
support the rest of the family.  Those teenagers would benefit from
incentives to stay in school, but not being able to drive a car is not
one of them.  In fact, I believe that for families in subsidized
housing, the government threatens to evict them if their kids are absent
too much.  Quite a different approach, wouldn't you say?  
 
John Edwards, whom I do not necessarily support, although I am an ABH
(anyone but Hillary), has it exactly right when he says there are two
Americas.  
 
Randi Faith Mezzy 

Randi Faith Mezzy 
Connecticut Legal Services 
85 Central Avenue 
Waterbury, CT 06702 
(203) 756-8074, x112 
(203) 754-0504 (fax) 
rmezzy at connlegalservices.org <mailto:rmezzy at connlegalservices.org>  
 
I am only one, but I am still one; I cannot do everything, but still I
can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse
to do the something that I can do. 

	Edward Everett Hale 


________________________________

From: youth-list-bounces at lists.ctvoices.org
[mailto:youth-list-bounces at lists.ctvoices.org] On Behalf Of
JMRab at aol.com
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 12:15 PM
To: youth-list at ctvoices.org
Subject: [Youth-list] A Tool to Encourage Attendance


NO SCHOOL, NO DRIVING, SAYS ILLINOIS
Driving a car ranks near the top of many teenagers' wish lists; school,
for some, doesn't make the list at all. So this fall the secretary of
state's office and state education officials will try to use that desire
to get behind the wheel as leverage to keep more of them in the
classroom. A state law that went into effect July 1 will revoke the
licenses of students who have more than 18 unexcused absences from
school, are expelled or drop out, reports Carlos Sadovi in the Chicago
Tribune. It's part of an effort to stem the statewide dropout rate,
which topped 24,000 students last year. The number has declined from
more than 36,000 five years ago, but education leaders and lawmakers
think the new law can help bring it down further. Under the law,
teenagers under age 18 are required to attend school to get their
licenses or learner's permits. If they don't, their licenses could be
revoked until they are 18. Illinois students have to attend school until
they are 17.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-truantdrivers_bd22jul22,1,6
01693.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout&ctrack=1&cset=true
 
Janice M. Gruendel, Ph.D., M.Ed.
Governor's Senior Policy Advisor on Kids
Co-Chair, CT Early Childhood Education Cabinet
Member, Youth Vision Team & PK-16 Council
Home office: 203-481-9940
Blackberry: 203-824-4766
Mail to: 28 Juniper Point
Branford, CT 06405

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself. But each of us can
work to change a small portion of events and in the total of those acts
will be written the history of this generation." Robert Kennedy



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