Skipping class, though frowned upon, is practically a rite of passage for young teens, but thanks to an elaborate system involving GPS being used by some school districts, it is practically being eliminated completely.
Basically any students in the seventh- or eighth-grade who have four or more unexcused absences over the course of a school year can be put into the Anaheim program. They will be assigned a GPS tracking device about the size of a cell phone, and they'll need to use it regularly
The newspaper said:
"Each morning on schooldays, [students will] get an automated phone call reminding them that they need to get to school on time.Then, five times a day, they are required to enter a code that tracks their locations – as they leave for school, when they arrive at school, at lunchtime, when they leave school and at 8 p.m.
Basically any students in the seventh- or eighth-grade who have four or more unexcused absences over the course of a school year can be put into the Anaheim program. They will be assigned a GPS tracking device about the size of a cell phone, and they'll need to use it regularly
The newspaper said:
"Each morning on schooldays, [students will] get an automated phone call reminding them that they need to get to school on time.Then, five times a day, they are required to enter a code that tracks their locations – as they leave for school, when they arrive at school, at lunchtime, when they leave school and at 8 p.m.
The students are also assigned an adult coach who calls them at least three times a week to see how they are doing and help them find effective ways to make sure they get to class on time."
It's worth noting that while this anti-truancy program is very elaborate and almost invasive, it is also entirely optional. Students and their parents are offered the chance to voluntarily participate in the "monitoring as a way to avoid continuation school or prosecution with a potential stay in juvenile hall."
"The GPS devices cost $300-$400 each. Overall, the six-week program costs about $8 per day for each student, or $18,000. ... Because schools lose about $35 per day for each absent student, the program can pay for itself and more if students return to class consistently."
"Where the GPS technology has been implemented, average attendance among the chronically truant jumped from 77 percent up to 95 percent during the six-week program."
For more Authorised info: MSNBC
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