As an educator, it shocked me when I recently heard the statement from a news reporter that parents might now face jail time if their child misses too many days of school.

It seems evident that children change developmentally and fall under a certain umbrella of expectations when venturing into their teenage years. At the age of 14 or 15, many parents ask themselves, “What happened to my innocent little child?”

If you have ever received an automated call from your child’s school that announces those frightening words, “Your child was not at school today,” a sudden fear overcomes you. You might think, “Where was my child?” In today’s society, so many parents are working during the day; for that reason, most parents are no longer at home during the day to see if their child did or did not truly make it to school.

Teenagers tend to skip school for many reasons. Some students skip school to embrace a rowdy crowd or to participate in drug activity. Yet, some teens “play hooky” to avoid a teacher or a particular exam. If a child doesn’t see a true relationship between school and real life experiences, he or she may think school is pointless. Realistically, all drop-outs are not students who lack motivation or constantly goof off.

 The best alternative for schools dealing with high absentee rates is to take the time to effectively listen to the students. They must teach children to balance their skills and interests. Parents should get involved and encourage children to not only perform well academically, but to participate in some form of sport. Learning to actively work with others and feel as though you belong to a group is always important, especially when dealing with adolescent self-identity issues. Becoming engaged in your child’s education is one way to ensure that he or she is proactively engaged as well.

Filled with facts and figures, the media has been saturated with presentations relating to today’s teens and the troubles they face. A few to mention are violence in schools, gangs, pregnancy, decreased retention rates, suicide and truancy. Decades ago, students seemed to drop out of school due to illness or family obligations. Today, the trend seems to lean toward personal failure or fear of others. It is sad to hear students make the statement, “Going to school is like going to prison.”

For those who remain truant, where do they go? What do they do? These are questions parents must find answers to.

And then, they should find a plan for better supervision. 

Dr. Sonya Rogers is a certified counselor who lives in Daphne. 

Her column regularly appears in the Daphne Bulletin and Spanish Fort Sun.