Should parents go to jail because their kids aren't going to school?

I think that the reason why the government is doing this as a punishment to their parents whose children don't go to school is for the improvement of the national quality. I can understand that. Thus the government is just pushing the parents to be firm to have their kids to go to school for education. Also it is good for the society to have fewer social problems if the whole nation are well educated. And you know that the kids will be able to find a job and do their work well once they grow up and have to step into the society. What do you think, friend?

I think the threat of imprisoning parents for their childrens truancy is only carried out as a last resort, when the parents refuse to cooperate with the authorities. I can't believe that any court would punish parents who have been seen by the school to actively enforce their child's attendance. I'm amazed at some parents attitude toward school though. I know a few people who all-but encourage their kids to stay at home. It saddens me that a 'parent' could be so un-concerned about their childrens future. I know if it were my child, I would literally frog-march them into the classroom myself and sit by their side the whole day if necessary!

When children reach a certain age they feel that they know everything and nothing a parent says or does makes a difference(not matter how good a parent they are) Punishing parents for children's mistakes is just plain wrong. What does it really teach the children, If i do wrong oh well its not me who gets in trouble. Kids go through so many phases as they go from child to teen to adult and they don't always make the right choices. This is how they learn so punishing parents will not help at all.

Why put the parents in jail when it is the kids that are not going to school.In some of the families there are more than one child and only one parent.What happens to the other children? Foster care? So the other kids in the family are punished when they didn't do anything wrong.It is hard when both parents are working or there is only one parent and he/she is working.If they can, they drive the kids to school and yet the child doesn't go? There isn't anything the parent can do.Nowadays with uniforms, it is easier to skip school.all you have to do is not wear the right clothes and you are out.I agree with you.There should be some kind of punishment for the kids that is geared to the community.

No I dont think its fair that parents should get punnished for there kids not going to school because most of the time they want there kids to go to school but its the kids that skip a lot and im sure most of the parents punnish them because they dont want them to skip school and waste there money. But if a parent is purposely holding there kids at home and not letting them go then they shouldnt go to jail because thats not a crime to keep your kids home from school.

Well I thought it was cool when I watch an episode of Walket Texas Ranger when the parents had to sit in class with the kid to make sure they were there.I would do it in a second if my kid was skipping school.

I agree with you Laurala I don't believe parents should be threaten because their child isn't in school, Most parents take their child to the bus or take them to school.. If they don't show for class that's the parents faults... I don't think so..We can't control our child at school on what he or she does.. That's what the teachers are there for right to look out for our kids not only to teach cause we can't be there 24/7 to help them.. With this stuff about children not going to school and we put in jail i think it's wrong..

I have never heard of this happening before but would not agree with it either . Like you when the children are younger and if it were a case of the parents just not getting their children off to shcool then I could understand but if the children are being sent to school and then skip and you know nothing about this or even if one does know but can't seem to stop the child from skipping then it is the child who should be penalized somehow for this as they need to realize how important schooling is for them , that it really doesn't affect our lives if they don't go to school as it is them that needs the education to get anywhere in life . We want the best for our children and I don't understand parents who let their children stay home for no reason as without education they will get no where in life . With all this said , I believe that children who are not in school should be shown what it be like when they have to work long hard hours with next to no pay at all and still try to raise a family and pay bills on time and to do this they should be made to have to take the place of someone in the community or help someone out that is of a low income just so they could see what their life will be like without an education . Although it would probably be hard to put something like this in place , I do believe it would show the children more then by just telling them .

Hi Laurla98, I agree with many of the responses in this thread that say that parents shouldn't be punished for the behaviors of the kids. I wonder if the court and law system is even the correct system to help in 'family matters' such as child truancy. It seems to me that the wrong institution is being suggested for family matters. What does JAIL have to do with family and disciplinary difficulties? Children and Parents who have truant children may or may not have issues with the law (does it depend on the activities the child is doing while skipping school, or what?), however, it is obvious that SOMETHING needs to be done about a growing problem of truancy in North America. Very rarely have I ever heard anything about 'Parenting' and 'Family' behavior mediation or things of this sort. I believe that something in the way of mandatory counselling for all family members might work better for this problem than the threat of any type of jail or punishment by law. I'm sure that circumstances vary greatly with regard to reasons why minor aged individuals aren't making it into the classrooms. Yes, in some families, parents are lax about enforcing rules about school attendance. In other cases, the child just refuses to go to classes. If a full family evaluation were performed, wouldn't this help determine what is happening in a family where the child(ren) is not making it to classes? 'Counselling' and 'therapy' have become stigmatized and are frowned upon in a lot of societies, but really, if problems of this nature persist, people eventually end up in jail or in mandatory counselling sometimes, anyway, right? Why not a shorter route of INTERVENTION before some of the kids who are skipping become involved in worse behaviors and patterns of disregarding authority? Just my opinion - and a lot more questions

I understand with younger kids that the parents should be accountable. In highschool however, it is ridiculous! I got taken to court along with my daughter when she was 15. She had been skipping school alot. She was court ordered to attend every day. That should have ended it but no it didn't. When we went back to court...now she has to do community service because even tho she was attending...her grades were not good enough. She did the community service but began skipping again. I got up each and every morning and argued with her but did get her to school and made sure that she went in before leaving. I asked all of her teacher's to call me if she did not show up for a class. I never got any calls but she was still skipping. Often she would come home drunk and high. I was terrified something bad would happen to her. I got a bill from the courts for 6000.00 for all the court's time. I argued and won to have the bill dropped. If she had gotten into an accident when she should have been in school and had been in school and the school did not notify anyone when she slipped off, I think some of that lies with the school. This is all fairly new where they blame the parents of older kids.

I agree with you, because I know if you have a teenager you cannot be in control of them all the time. If they skip school all the time and don't listen to their parents, it would be wrong to put the parent in jail.

I think that jail should be a last resort. I also think that it needs to be taken into consideration that its not just the parents. Parents try to get their kids to go to school and if kids are ditching school...some parents may not even know. Out here if a child misses even one class...an automated call is made to the parents. It will tell them how many classes were missed. I'm glad they do that here otherwise..parents may never know what their kids are doing.

I think that if the parents are taking an interest in there kids life they should already have seen the sighns that somthing may be wrong. i think you should get one chance. THATS IT!

I don't think it's fair for the parents to be punished if their kids don't want to go to school, if they don't the children don't want to go to school then they are the ones that need to be punished! Or if parents don't want their children to go to school and they won't let them, then ofcourse the parents should be punished and maybe even go to jail.

Under the federal law, Once the child is on school property it is not the parents responsibility to see to it the child remains at school but the schools. Parents should not be jailed for a rebellious truant child they did not know skipped. But knowing the kid is not going to school and doing nothing yes then they are responsible. The exception being registered homeschool children.

I responded to this one earlier but I forgot to put down if I thought that parents should go to jail and here it is.If I had to go jail because my child wasn't going to school.It would be the last time she didn't go to school because I would sit in her classes to make sure she was there and if the other kids made fun of her because of it then she better make sure she's there.

it is ridiculous.i think it depends. i know that in China,kids should go to primary school and junior middle school,it is compulsory. but there are still a large number of kids can't complete their schooling.why? the most of important reason is that the kids themselves don't want to. if you simply punish their parents it is unfair. but if it is their parents fault,they deserve.

I know in my hometown and I believe here in the city I live now they have alternative school for kids who don't know how to follow the rules at school like fighting , truancy, or other things. I don't think they are ran as good as they should be or that would be the place to send them. they can be held accountable for not showing up, but then I guess you'll soon have a crowded school with as many kids that don't go to school now a days. I don't think the parents should go to jail, but it should be a little something more they can do to get their child to go to school. Skipping a couple days of school is cool, i did that when i was in high school, but you have to know when to say when. When to go to school and when it's cool to try to hang out. I think that's a lot of the problem with the kids today and they don't think about the future that much, they live for the now.

why should they??? i mean it is not their fault if their kids will not go to school. if the parents asked their kids to go and the kids will not go then certainly they cannot be put to jail because they are innocent. i think most parents think of the education of their kids and it is one of their obligations to send them to school so that they would learn and have a better life in the future. i guess there is no law imposed like that, that the parents should go to jail if the kids won't go to school well it is the child own free will if they do not want to.