Harris: School Attendance Crisis
A new state report examines the number of students missing school, and unfortunately Calaveras County ranks as the worst.
The report was put together by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who says the state has an “attendance crisis.” The report only takes into account elementary schools. In California, a student is truant if he or she is absent or tardy three or more times during a school year, without a valid excuse.
Calaveras County has 3,184 elementary school students and 996 were truant. It equals 31.1% of the student population, and ranks the highest in the state. Tuolumne County was in the middle of the pack at 17.7%. Neighboring counties like Amador were at 16.2%, Mariposa was 10%, Stanislaus was 20% and San Joaquin was 26.5%. The numbers were from the 2011-12 school year.
Harris claims that increased truancy often results in higher crime levels. It also impacts the amount of funding schools receive because it is based on the number of students in the classroom.
