Oh !

I too am proposing immediate and effective effort directed to the idea of enabling our schools to provide more effectiveness in achieving success for the students; I am not proposing retribution so much as I am stating a strong belief that parents of truants are , for the most part, not meeting their lawful obligation. Procreation of children has obligations in civil law as well as it does in religious belief systems.
Our money problem is basically a problem of truants possessing parents who are negligent! Perhaps the parents are unbalanced in thought processes or fail to understand their obligations in full. HUSD’s problem is that it lacks the resources to educate parents as well as their truant offspring. SB 1317 when exercised properly, will put the District Attorney in a position to require parents to attend a meeting with the judiciary powers that compel compliance with their obligations to provide shelter, clothing, food and education, until the child or children reach 18 years of age.
Our truancy problem here in Hayward has reached extraordinary heights. The simple fact is, that the problem has existed for years and yet no resolution has occurred by mailings or phone conversations.
Another simple fact is that you do not need to publicize identities of students or parents in order to correct the problem. A front page story which announces that three (unnamed) students at a particular high school have caused their parents to attend a mandatory court appearance is enough to cause an awareness that will have a rippling affect when other parents start carrying the message throughout their separate neighborhoods. When other parents are made aware of the effect of decline in classroom Instruction hours, caused by teachers who are distracted by repetitive questions raised by truants, you can logically bet that those students faithful to requisite classroom attendance will raise a question or two, with truants. If that thought, assumed present in the minds of other students and their teachers, is not occurring, then we are really in deep trouble!
Another way of expressing a reply to Ms. Blair’s criticism is to solicit from her a simple answer to this question: Can you advise any other more effective plan of action, which would prove superior to use of SB 1317 without creating a need for yet another money draining budget item ? IT SEEMS TO ME THAT USE OF THE LEGAl PROCESS, BEYOND THE ACT OF FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE DISTRICT ATORNEY, IS RELATIVELY FREE OF EXPENSE involving only the personal appearance of A TRUANT OFFICER AT TRIAL, WOULD BE FAVORABLLY RECEIVED BY THOSE WHO POSSESS AN ABILITY TO THINK.
OUR PRESENT LOSS OF $9,000,000 ANNUALLY DUE TO TRUANCY IS SIMPLY iNEXCUSABLE!
DO THE MATH….11,221 ACTS OF TRUANCY OCCURRED IN SCHOOL YEAR 2010-2011. That is totally unacceptable to this voter AND I EASILY EXPECT FAVORABLE PUBLIC REACTION. ESPECIALLY IF THE DAILY REVIEW PICKS UP THE STORY! 11,221 ACTS OF TRUANCY BY AN INITIAL ENROLLMENT AT 18,641 EQUATES TO A 60.25% truancy rate. However it is not accurate since absences by a truant are not thought to separate truancy days of just one day from those which so occur and which involve two or more continuous days.

Sleep on that thought and wake up in an exhausted condition!

I think it would do more good if we doubled down on making our schools better rather than getting retribution.

All
I have made this statement on earlier occasion, but it loses nothing in the repetition!
While attending the graduation of a grandchild from Amador High School, which event occurred in the amphitheater of the Alameda County Fairgrounds, I observed the Superintendent of Schools make his dramatic approach to the microphone where, after a bit of toying with that device…. he raised his arm, straight out toward the west, which he was facing. In a well measured volume of speech he asked a seemingly rhetorical question which was: “are you not glad that your children did not attend schools on the opposite side of those hills?”
Even more shocking than that remark was the explosion of noise emanating from the well packed audience which seated itself upon central stairways and stood along the fence lined pathways of that venue. The foot stomping, whistling, loud cheering and other obnoxious behaviors, left an indelible impression on my mind as well as that of my spouse.
If there were members of minority races in the audience, I was unable to observe them. The graduating students may have had a few ‘non-white; individuals among their numbers but I do not recall seeing any black children in that class.
Frankly, if the matter was left to me for resolution. a penalty would be imposed upon the sums of ADA cash made available to Pleasanton Schools, until such time as low income persons of color find opportunity for low income housing in that community.
Why HUSD’s teachers union ( HEA ) has not ‘picked up’ on their own more difficult wage negotiations which result from this disparity…. is quite beyond me!

It is too bad that the colored coded map of Alameda County, which displays the concentration of parolees and probationers by zip codes is not being shown on the blog. I have a copy or two of that so if you all are able to prevail upon Mr. Kurhi, he might install it on the blog for your edification. It would aid understanding by those who criticize me for urging resolution of the “hooky problem” by use of Calif State, Senate Bill 1317 !
Which is not to say that participants of this blog should avoid raising hell on behalf of HUSD, it’s teachers, tax payers and it’s students, in a more meaningful manner than the present ineffectual use of this blog! Want a copy of the Map? Tell that to Kurhi ! I lack the key and ability to transfer the color coding necessary to your understanding of our mutual problem.