“The level of education you obtain today, will determine the quality of life you will lead tomorrow”

Stated by Former Coach Tom Essex, Oñate High School

New Mexico law states that…

“Any qualified student and any person who because of his/her age is eligible to become a qualified student as defined by the Public School Finance Act shall attend a public school, a private school, a home school, or a state institution.”

“Truant” means a student who has accumulated five unexcused absences within any twenty day period.

“Habitual Truant” means a student who has accumulated the equivalent of ten or more unexcused absences within a school year; and

“Unexcused absence” means an absence from school or a class for which the student does not have an allowable excuse pursuant to the Compulsory School Attendance Law.

“Any parent of a person subject to the provisions of the Compulsory School Attendance Law is responsible for the school attendance of that person”.

Why Parents must RISE to the occasion:

Truancy – Poor Academic Performance – Frustration – Drop-Out

Drop Outs:

• Are more likely to be involved in problem behaviors such as delinquency, substance abuse, and early childbearing
• Have significantly fewer job prospects
• Make lower salaries
• Are more often unemployed
• Experience unstable marriages more frequently
• Are more likely to engage in criminal behavior

If a child has more than ten unexcused absences per semester, the child’s family may be designated a family in need of court-ordered supervision.

A child who is permitted by his or her parents to be chronically truant may also be considered a neglected child

If a determination and finding is made that the habitual truancy by the student may have been caused by the parent of the student, then charges against the parent may be filed.

Why the Community must RISE to the occasion:

• Data from the 2000 census shows that high school dropouts had only 52% employment in 1999 compared to 71% for high school graduates and 83% for college graduates.
• Of those who worked full-time year-round in 1999, high school drop outs earned only 65% of the median earnings.

Truancy prevention and intervention efforts protect youth from risk factors and help reduce juvenile delinquency and other related problems. Programs that prevent a young person from becoming involved in the juvenile justice system save taxpayers money, prevent more people from becoming victims of crime and help prevent the development of future criminal offenders.

For the nation’s next generation, preventing truancy can mean the difference between a lifetime of problems or a lifetime of accomplishments.