Former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley once noted: "Truancy is the first warning sign we have that a young person may be giving up hope." That hope can be restored but school districts must intervene with a firm and empathetic hand. Strong attendance policies should be adopted, publicized and enforced.
Everyone pays a price for truancy: the truant pupil, the school and society at large. For example, it's estimated that a 1% increase in high school graduation rates would result in:
- 400 fewer murders and 8,000 fewer assaults.
- 100,000 fewer crimes in total.
- Savings from murder alone would be $1.1 Billion.
"The Effect of Education on Crime: Evidence from Prison Inmates, Arrests and Self Reports",
Lance Lochner & Enrico Moretti, American Economic Review, 2004, v94 (Mar 1), 155-189
National statistics, however, can obscure the impact of truancy on local communities. In schools experiencing high truancy rates, typically the community experiences higher rates of daytime crime. Daytime shoppers, once numerous, begin to avoid the area.
Business owners, not willing to accept reduced sales, higher rates of inventory "shrinkage" or the risk of robbery and worse, move from the area. Shopping now is even less convenient as area unemployment increases. New businesses and potential home-owners are reluctant to move in. The tax base declines which has a negative impact on school funding, further exacerbating the problem.
The iSECUREtrac Solution
Undeniably, the problems underlying truancy are diverse. When counseling or other truancy programs are not sufficient, iSECUREtrac provides supplemental support with real-time student location monitoring and direct intervention by a trained, bi-lingual staff.
In terms of process, iSECUREtrac works with school officials, community agencies and the judiciary to select juvenile truants for participation in the program. iSECUREtrac then provides a thorough orientation for both students and parents. Checking student locations via active GPS, the iSECUREtrac Monitoring Center staff serves as "virtual coaches" to ensure school attendance. When truant, the student receives an immediate phone call from trained, bi-lingual Monitoring Center personnel.
For more information, to review the results from a truancy pilot conducted in a major metropolitan school district or to request an on-site demo of iSECUREtrac systems, services and software, email or call toll-free at 866.537.0022.