Latest news with #ErikJohnson
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Student absences have surged since COVID-19. Some lawmakers say parents should be jailed
Student absences have surged since COVID-19. Some lawmakers say parents should be jailed As educators nationwide grapple with stubbornly high levels of student absences since the pandemic drove schools into disarray five years ago, Oklahoma prosecutor Erik Johnson says he has the solution. Throw parents in jail. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled-to about 30%-the year after the pandemic shuttered classrooms, plunged families into poverty and led to the deaths of more than 1 million Americans. Student attendance rates have improved by just a few percentage points since the federal public health emergency expired nearly two years ago, a reality that's been dubbed "Education's long COVID." But Johnson, a Republican district attorney representing three counties in southeast Oklahoma, said the persistent absences have nothing to do with the pandemic and instead are because "we're going too easy on kids" and parents have been given "an excuse not to be accountable." Since Johnson was elected in 2022 on a campaign promise to enforce Oklahoma's compulsory education law, he's forced dozens of students and parents into hasty court appearances and, on several occasions, put parents behind bars in the hope it will compel their children to show up for class. Lawmakers nationwide have taken a similar approach, including in Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia, where new laws leverage the legal system to crack down on student absences. "We prosecute everything from murders to rape to financial crimes, but in my view, the ones that cause the most societal harm is when people do harm to children, either child neglect, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, domestic violence in homes, and then you can add truancy to the list," Johnson said. "It's not as bad, in my opinion, as beating a child, but it's on the spectrum because you're not putting that child in a position to be successful," continued Johnson, who has dubbed 2025 the "Year of the Child." Since the pandemic, policymakers have taken on a heightened role in addressing persistent student absences, and lawmakers nationwide have proposed dozens of bills this year to combat chronic absenteeism, typically defined as missing 10% of school days in an academic year for any reason. Such efforts have fallen broadly into two camps: incentives and accountability. States like Indiana have taken a similar approach to Johnson's, imposing fines and jail stints for missed seat time. Other efforts have focused on addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism, like homelessness, and have sought to draw kids to campuses with rewards. In Hawaii, for example, pending legislation seeks to entice student attendance with the promise of free ice cream. In Detroit, where 75% of students were chronically absent last year, the district employs both the carrot and the stick: handing out $200 gift cards to 5,000 students with perfect attendance while warning those with an extremely high number of absences that they can be held back a grade in K-8 or made to repeat classes in high school. In Oklahoma, where parents can be jailed for up to five days and fined $50 each day their child is absent from school without an excuse, proposed legislation would let schools off the hook. For years, Oklahoma schools have received poor grades for chronic absenteeism, one metric the state uses to gauge school performance. If approved, the bipartisan bills would strike chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, a change officials said is necessary because it's the responsibility of parents-not principals and teachers-to get kids to class. Schools in Oklahoma "have very little control over whether or not a kid gets to school," Rep. Ronny Johns, a Republican from Ada, told The 74. Ada, the county seat of Pontotoc County, is ground zero for Johnson's truancy initiative, an effort that Johns, a former school principal, said should be replicated statewide. "We can encourage them to get their kids to school and everything," Johns said. "But in the end, parents have got to get their kid up and get them to school." 'A shared responsibility' The latest national data on chronic absenteeism, collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-23 school year, found that some 13.4 million students-nearly 28%-missed 10% or more of the academic year. In a majority of states, chronic absenteeism has shown marginal improvements since its peak. Nationally, chronic absenteeism reached an all-time high in the 2021-22 school year of nearly 30%. Pre-pandemic, the national rate was about 15%. Some states like Colorado and Connecticut have seen substantial improvements in absenteeism, the data show. In others, including Oklahoma, absenteeism has gotten worse since 2021-22. In 2023, nearly a quarter of Oklahoma students were chronically absent, according to the federal data. Chronic absenteeism is particularly acute among Native American, Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic students, as well as those who are English learners, in special education or live in low-income households. Hedy Chang, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works, said the key to solving chronic absenteeism is to address the underlying problems that make kids absent in the first place. The California-based nonprofit focused solely on improving student attendance identifies a range of "root causes", including student disengagement, boredom and unwelcoming school climates. Caregivers' negative education experiences are a factor, according to the nonprofit. So, too, is homelessness and community violence. Last year, lawmakers in 28 states proposed at least 71 bills focused on identifying, preventing and addressing chronic absenteeism, according to analyses by the nonprofit FutureEd. This year, legislators in 20 states are weighing at least 49 bills focused on chronic absences, including efforts to improve data collection and create early interventions. The Oklahoma legislation seeks to replace chronic absenteeism in its school accountability system with an alternative, such as a climate survey, a softer measure that would gauge students', parents' and educators' opinions about their schools. The move would require approval from the U.S. Department of Education. States have been required to collect chronic absenteeism rates since the passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Since then, chronic absenteeism has been included as one of six school performance indicators on Oklahoma's annual A-F report cards from the state education department. Currently, 38 states use chronic absenteeism to grade school performance, Chang said. For schools in Oklahoma, the measurement has proven to be a hurdle. In 2022-23, the state's schools received an F grade in chronic absenteeism. Last year, the state grade ticked up slightly-to a D. Removing chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, Johns, the state lawmaker, said, could allow schools across Oklahoma to receive better grades. Meanwhile, he supports initiatives to handle student absences through the courts, arguing that "parents need to have some skin in the game." "Chronic absenteeism is driving our report card down," Johns said. "Without the chronic absenteeism [measurement], our report card is not going to look as bad as it is because our public schools are doing some really good things, so why shouldn't the report card be a reflection of that?" Chang argued the move is misguided. She pointed to a growing body of research that has found schools can combat absenteeism if they form meaningful relationships with parents and partner with social services agencies that address underlying barriers to attendance, like food insecurity. There's little research to suggest that fines and other forms of punishment improve attendance. Even as some states ramp up truancy rules, others have scaled them back as studies report that punitive measures can backfire. In South Carolina schools, for example, students placed on probation for truancy wound up with even worse school attendance than they had before the courts got involved, according to a 2020 report by the nonprofit Council of State Governments Justice Center. In a report published last year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education highlighted school districts that have made "impressive strides in reducing" chronic absenteeism and that "offer valuable lessons on how schools can re-engage students." Among them is a 24% drop in absenteeism at Dahlonegah Public Schools, which hired a school-based police officer to visit the homes of students who failed to attend school. The district also credited improvements to "a welcoming and engaging school environment." The state education department didn't respond to requests for comment. "Families have to be involved and they have to be partners and they have to take responsibility for getting kids to school, but it's not solely about what families do or don't do," Chang said. "I think it's a mistake to assume it's only one group's responsibility. This is a shared responsibility." 'Broken families, no economic opportunity, no education' Johnson, the district attorney, said his office has stepped up to address a problem that state education leaders have failed to solve. He took particular aim at the state's high-profile education secretary, Ryan Walters, who has become an outspoken champion of conservative education causes. Yet, as far as chronic absenteeism goes, Johnson said the state schools chief "has no interest in talking about" the topic except "when he could get a soundbite on Fox News." The state education department did not respond to Johnson's comments. The 51-year-old father of four also pinned persistent chronic absenteeism on parents-those living in poverty, in particular. Children in his district who most often miss school, he said, are "kind of feral." "My friends generally don't have children that are in crisis because, just economically speaking, they're on the higher end of the spectrum," Johnson told The 74. Johnson said there are about 7,500 K-12 children in the counties that make up his district and estimated that at least 30% contend with "economic poverty, multigenerational drug abuse, domestic abuse in the home, broken families, no economic opportunity, no education." "If you live in a school district where there is a real high poverty level and a real high incarceration rate, then a lot of times you're going to get kids that have been raised in those environments," Johnson said. "So you're going to have a lot more challenges with that group than you would if every person had a four-wheel drive vehicle and a bass boat in their driveway and everybody has a good industrial job and is making a good living and providing for their families." Johnson said schools should play a role in encouraging students to go to school, but when that doesn't work, threats of jail are needed. In Pontotoc County, just two truancy charges were filed against parents in 2023, according to data provided to The 74 by Johnson's office. That number jumped to 20 last year and, so far this year, there have already been eight. David Blatt, the director of research and strategic impact at the nonprofit Oklahoma Appleseed, questioned the accuracy of the data and said it could be an undercount. He said he attended a truancy court case in Ada last year where as many as 30 parents and students made appearances before a judge that lasted just 60 to 90 seconds each. In a report last year, Blatt found that truancy laws were enforced inconsistently across the state and urged policymakers to adopt interventions and supports for families to address chronic absenteeism rather than criminalize them. Blatt backs the legislation to remove chronic absenteeism as a school accountability measure, acknowledging that certain attendance barriers are outside of educators' direct control. But he said Johnson's characterization of the problem is "rather harsh and one-sided." Rather than being apathetic toward their children's education, he said many parents struggle with work responsibilities and transportation while children wrestle with in-school factors that can discourage attendance, such as persistent bullying. "There may be cases where being called before a judge will help convince them of the seriousness of things, but for other cases, it's just going to compound their problems," Blatt said. "Adding court appearances and fees and fines doesn't solve their problems. It just adds to them." Yet for Johnson, the issue stems from a lack of repercussions. By enforcing truancy cases, he said schools have "a little bit of a weapon" against parents whose children are missing school and can threaten them with jail time. Most of the time, he said, threats alone improve student attendance and in many cases the charges wind up getting dismissed. In fewer than a dozen instances, he said, his truancy crackdown has led to parents serving time behind bars. "Generally, they'll go in for about four hours," Johnson said. "We'll give them the taste of it." This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Student absences have surged since COVID-19. Some lawmakers say parents should be jailed
As educators nationwide grapple with stubbornly high levels of student absences since the pandemic drove schools into disarray five years ago, Oklahoma prosecutor Erik Johnson says he has the solution. Throw parents in jail. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled—to about 30%—the year after the pandemic shuttered classrooms, plunged families into poverty and led to the deaths of more than 1 million Americans. Student attendance rates have improved by just a few percentage points since the federal public health emergency expired nearly two years ago, a reality that's been dubbed 'Education's long COVID.' But Johnson, a Republican district attorney representing three counties in southeast Oklahoma, said the persistent absences have nothing to do with the pandemic and instead are because 'we're going too easy on kids' and parents have been given 'an excuse not to be accountable.' Since Johnson was elected in 2022 on a campaign promise to enforce Oklahoma's compulsory education law, he's forced dozens of students and parents into hasty court appearances and, on several occasions, put parents behind bars in the hope it will compel their children to show up for class. Lawmakers nationwide have taken a similar approach, including in Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia, where new laws leverage the legal system to crack down on student absences. 'We prosecute everything from murders to rape to financial crimes, but in my view, the ones that cause the most societal harm is when people do harm to children, either child neglect, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, domestic violence in homes, and then you can add truancy to the list,' Johnson said. 'It's not as bad, in my opinion, as beating a child, but it's on the spectrum because you're not putting that child in a position to be successful,' continued Johnson, who has dubbed 2025 the 'Year of the Child.' Since the pandemic, policymakers have taken on a heightened role in addressing persistent student absences, and lawmakers nationwide have proposed dozens of bills this year to combat chronic absenteeism, typically defined as missing 10% of school days in an academic year for any reason. Such efforts have fallen broadly into two camps: incentives and accountability. States like Indiana have taken a similar approach to Johnson's, imposing fines and jail stints for missed seat time. Other efforts have focused on addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism, like homelessness, and have sought to draw kids to campuses with rewards. In Hawaii, for example, pending legislation seeks to entice student attendance with the promise of free ice cream. In Detroit, where 75% of students were chronically absent last year, the district employs both the carrot and the stick: handing out $200 gift cards to 5,000 students with perfect attendance while warning those with an extremely high number of absences that they can be held back a grade in K-8 or made to repeat classes in high school. In Oklahoma, where parents can be jailed for up to five days and fined $50 each day their child is absent from school without an excuse, proposed legislation would let schools off the hook. For years, Oklahoma schools have received poor grades for chronic absenteeism, one metric the state uses to gauge school performance. If approved, the bipartisan bills would strike chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, a change officials said is necessary because it's the responsibility of parents—not principals and teachers—to get kids to class. Schools in Oklahoma 'have very little control over whether or not a kid gets to school,' Rep. Ronny Johns, a Republican from Ada, told The 74. Ada, the county seat of Pontotoc County, is ground zero for Johnson's truancy initiative, an effort that Johns, a former school principal, said should be replicated statewide. 'We can encourage them to get their kids to school and everything,' Johns said. 'But in the end, parents have got to get their kid up and get them to school.' The latest national data on chronic absenteeism, collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-23 school year, found that some 13.4 million students—nearly 28%—missed 10% or more of the academic year. In a majority of states, chronic absenteeism has shown marginal improvements since its peak. Nationally, chronic absenteeism reached an all-time high in the 2021-22 school year of nearly 30%. Pre-pandemic, the national rate was about 15%. Some states like Colorado and Connecticut have seen substantial improvements in absenteeism, the data show. In others, including Oklahoma, absenteeism has gotten worse since 2021-22. In 2023, nearly a quarter of Oklahoma students were chronically absent, according to the federal data. Chronic absenteeism is particularly acute among Native American, Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic students, as well as those who are English learners, in special education or live in low-income households. Hedy Chang, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works, said the key to solving chronic absenteeism is to address the underlying problems that make kids absent in the first place. The California-based nonprofit focused solely on improving student attendance identifies a range of 'root causes', including student disengagement, boredom and unwelcoming school climates. Caregivers' negative education experiences are a factor, according to the nonprofit. So, too, is homelessness and community violence. Last year, lawmakers in 28 states proposed at least 71 bills focused on identifying, preventing and addressing chronic absenteeism, according to analyses by the nonprofit FutureEd. This year, legislators in 20 states are weighing at least 49 bills focused on chronic absences, including efforts to improve data collection and create early interventions. The Oklahoma legislation seeks to replace chronic absenteeism in its school accountability system with an alternative, such as a climate survey, a softer measure that would gauge students', parents' and educators' opinions about their schools. The move would require approval from the U.S. Department of Education. States have been required to collect chronic absenteeism rates since the passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Since then, chronic absenteeism has been included as one of six school performance indicators on Oklahoma's annual A-F report cards from the state education department. Currently, 38 states use chronic absenteeism to grade school performance, Chang said. For schools in Oklahoma, the measurement has proven to be a hurdle. In 2022-23, the state's schools received an F grade in chronic absenteeism. Last year, the state grade ticked up slightly—to a D. Removing chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, Johns, the state lawmaker, said, could allow schools across Oklahoma to receive better grades. Meanwhile, he supports initiatives to handle student absences through the courts, arguing that 'parents need to have some skin in the game.' 'Chronic absenteeism is driving our report card down,' Johns said. 'Without the chronic absenteeism [measurement], our report card is not going to look as bad as it is because our public schools are doing some really good things, so why shouldn't the report card be a reflection of that?' Chang argued the move is misguided. She pointed to a growing body of research that has found schools can combat absenteeism if they form meaningful relationships with parents and partner with social services agencies that address underlying barriers to attendance, like food insecurity. There's little research to suggest that fines and other forms of punishment improve attendance. Even as some states ramp up truancy rules, others have scaled them back as studies report that punitive measures can backfire. In South Carolina schools, for example, students placed on probation for truancy wound up with even worse school attendance than they had before the courts got involved, according to a 2020 report by the nonprofit Council of State Governments Justice Center. In a report published last year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education highlighted school districts that have made 'impressive strides in reducing' chronic absenteeism and that 'offer valuable lessons on how schools can re-engage students.' Among them is a 24% drop in absenteeism at Dahlonegah Public Schools, which hired a school-based police officer to visit the homes of students who failed to attend school. The district also credited improvements to 'a welcoming and engaging school environment.' The state education department didn't respond to requests for comment. 'Families have to be involved and they have to be partners and they have to take responsibility for getting kids to school, but it's not solely about what families do or don't do,' Chang said. 'I think it's a mistake to assume it's only one group's responsibility. This is a shared responsibility.' Johnson, the district attorney, said his office has stepped up to address a problem that state education leaders have failed to solve. He took particular aim at the state's high-profile education secretary, Ryan Walters, who has become an outspoken champion of conservative education causes. Yet, as far as chronic absenteeism goes, Johnson said the state schools chief 'has no interest in talking about' the topic except 'when he could get a soundbite on Fox News.' The state education department did not respond to Johnson's comments. The 51-year-old father of four also pinned persistent chronic absenteeism on parents—those living in poverty, in particular. Children in his district who most often miss school, he said, are 'kind of feral.' 'My friends generally don't have children that are in crisis because, just economically speaking, they're on the higher end of the spectrum,' Johnson told The 74. Johnson said there are about 7,500 K-12 children in the counties that make up his district and estimated that at least 30% contend with 'economic poverty, multigenerational drug abuse, domestic abuse in the home, broken families, no economic opportunity, no education.' 'If you live in a school district where there is a real high poverty level and a real high incarceration rate, then a lot of times you're going to get kids that have been raised in those environments,' Johnson said. 'So you're going to have a lot more challenges with that group than you would if every person had a four-wheel drive vehicle and a bass boat in their driveway and everybody has a good industrial job and is making a good living and providing for their families.' Johnson said schools should play a role in encouraging students to go to school, but when that doesn't work, threats of jail are needed. In Pontotoc County, just two truancy charges were filed against parents in 2023, according to data provided to The 74 by Johnson's office. That number jumped to 20 last year and, so far this year, there have already been eight. David Blatt, the director of research and strategic impact at the nonprofit Oklahoma Appleseed, questioned the accuracy of the data and said it could be an undercount. He said he attended a truancy court case in Ada last year where as many as 30 parents and students made appearances before a judge that lasted just 60 to 90 seconds each. In a report last year, Blatt found that truancy laws were enforced inconsistently across the state and urged policymakers to adopt interventions and supports for families to address chronic absenteeism rather than criminalize them. Blatt backs the legislation to remove chronic absenteeism as a school accountability measure, acknowledging that certain attendance barriers are outside of educators' direct control. But he said Johnson's characterization of the problem is 'rather harsh and one-sided.' Rather than being apathetic toward their children's education, he said many parents struggle with work responsibilities and transportation while children wrestle with in-school factors that can discourage attendance, such as persistent bullying. 'There may be cases where being called before a judge will help convince them of the seriousness of things, but for other cases, it's just going to compound their problems,' Blatt said. 'Adding court appearances and fees and fines doesn't solve their problems. It just adds to them.' Yet for Johnson, the issue stems from a lack of repercussions. By enforcing truancy cases, he said schools have 'a little bit of a weapon' against parents whose children are missing school and can threaten them with jail time. Most of the time, he said, threats alone improve student attendance and in many cases the charges wind up getting dismissed. In fewer than a dozen instances, he said, his truancy crackdown has led to parents serving time behind bars. 'Generally, they'll go in for about four hours,' Johnson said. 'We'll give them the taste of it.' This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Cykelbutiker.nu Launches to Help Cyclists Discover and Compare Local Bike Shops in Sweden
A new platform makes it easier than ever to find and compare local bike retailers, workshops, and services across Sweden. GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN, May 15, 2025 / / -- Today marks the official launch of a new online platform built to help cyclists in Sweden easily discover, compare, and connect with local bike shops and repair services. The platform brings together listings of hundreds of bicycle retailers, rentals, and workshops across the country, offering a simple and intuitive way for users to search based on location, services, customer reviews, and store information. Whether you're looking for a new bike, a quick tune-up, or accessories for your next ride, helps you find exactly what you need — close to home. 'Despite Sweden's strong cycling culture, there hasn't been a central place to find and compare bike shops,' says Erik Johnson, co-founder of 'We wanted to make it easier for everyday cyclists to find trusted services, and at the same time help local bike shops become more visible online.' With bike shops in Sweden ranging from family-owned retailers to full-service urban repair hubs, offers a modern solution for exploring the full spectrum of what's available. Users can filter results to find shops that offer sales, accessories, or even same-day repairs, ensuring a match for any cycling need. is built with both casual and experienced riders in mind. It's mobile-friendly, easy to navigate, and designed to work just as well for someone planning their first bike purchase as for the seasoned commuter looking for a local bicycle repair specialist they can trust. The platform also supports filtering by region and city, making it particularly useful for those on the go or relocating within Sweden. Beyond helping consumers, the platform gives smaller bike businesses a chance to stand out. Many independent shops lack the resources to rank highly in search engines or run large marketing campaigns. By listing on they get access to a broader audience and a chance to compete on more equal terms. For those planning a cycling trip or exploring a new city, the platform also allows users to compare bike rentals — an especially helpful feature during the summer travel season. Whether you're a tourist needing a bike for a weekend or a resident looking for a short-term option, makes it easy to find the best rental nearby. The launch comes just in time for Sweden's peak cycling season. With interest in sustainable transport and healthy lifestyles growing, more people than ever are turning to bicycles as their primary mode of transport. supports this movement by helping riders find the support and equipment they need — faster and more efficiently. The service is free to use and already includes listings from major cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, as well as smaller towns throughout the country. The team behind the site plans to continue expanding the database and introducing new features, including user reviews and shop highlights. Visit today to explore Sweden's most complete directory of bike shops and services. Erik Johnson Cykelbutiker [email protected] Visit us on social media: Facebook X Bluesky Other Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Student Absences Have Surged Since COVID. Some Say Parents Should be Jailed
As educators nationwide grapple with stubbornly high levels of student absences since the pandemic drove schools into disarray five years ago, Oklahoma prosecutor Erik Johnson says he has the solution. Throw parents in jail. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled — to about 30% — the year after the pandemic shuttered classrooms, plunged families into poverty and led to the deaths of more than 1 million Americans. Student attendance rates have improved by just a few percentage points since the federal public health emergency expired nearly two years ago, a reality that's been dubbed 'Education's long COVID.' Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter But Johnson, a Republican district attorney representing three counties in southeast Oklahoma, said the persistent absences have nothing to do with the pandemic and instead are because 'we're going too easy on kids' and parents have been given 'an excuse not to be accountable.' Since Johnson was elected in 2022 on a campaign promise to enforce Oklahoma's compulsory education law, he's forced dozens of students and parents into hasty court appearances and, on several occasions, put parents behind bars in the hope it will compel their children to show up for class. Lawmakers nationwide have taken a similar approach, including in Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia, where new laws leverage the legal system to crack down on student absences. 'We prosecute everything from murders to rape to financial crimes, but in my view, the ones that cause the most societal harm is when people do harm to children, either child neglect, child physical abuse, child sexual abuse, domestic violence in homes, and then you can add truancy to the list,' Johnson said. 'It's not as bad, in my opinion, as beating a child, but it's on the spectrum because you're not putting that child in a position to be successful,' continued Johnson, who has dubbed 2025 the 'Year of the Child.' Related Since the pandemic, policymakers have taken on a heightened role in addressing persistent student absences, and lawmakers nationwide have proposed dozens of bills this year to combat chronic absenteeism, typically defined as missing 10% of school days in an academic year for any reason. Such efforts have fallen broadly into two camps: incentives and accountability. States like Indiana have taken a similar approach to Johnson's, imposing fines and jail stints for missed seat time. Other efforts have focused on addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism, like homelessness, and have sought to draw kids to campuses with rewards. In Hawaii, for example, pending legislation seeks to entice student attendance with the promise of free ice cream. In Detroit, where 75% of students were chronically absent last year, the district employs both the carrot and the stick: handing out $200 gift cards to 5,000 students with perfect attendance while warning those with an extremely high number of absences that they can be held back a grade in K-8 or made to repeat classes in high school. Related In Oklahoma, where parents can be jailed for up to five days and fined $50 each day their child is absent from school without an excuse, proposed legislation would let schools off the hook. For years, Oklahoma schools have received poor grades for chronic absenteeism, one metric the state uses to gauge school performance. If approved, the bipartisan bills would strike chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, a change officials said is necessary because it's the responsibility of parents — not principals and teachers — to get kids to class. Schools in Oklahoma 'have very little control over whether or not a kid gets to school,' Rep. Ronny Johns, a Republican from Ada, told The 74. Ada, the county seat of Pontotoc County, is ground zero for Johnson's truancy initiative, an effort that Johns, a former school principal, said should be replicated statewide. 'We can encourage them to get their kids to school and everything,' Johns said. 'But in the end, parents have got to get their kid up and get them to school.' The latest national data on chronic absenteeism, collected by the U.S. Department of Education for the 2022-23 school year, found that some 13.4 million students — nearly 28% — missed 10% or more of the academic year. In a majority of states, chronic absenteeism has shown marginal improvements since its peak. Nationally, chronic absenteeism reached an all-time high in the 2021-22 school year of nearly 30%. Pre-pandemic, the national rate was about 15%. Some states like Colorado and Connecticut have seen substantial improvements in absenteeism, the data show. In others, including Oklahoma, absenteeism has gotten worse since 2021-22. In 2023, nearly a quarter of Oklahoma students were chronically absent, according to the federal data. Chronic absenteeism is particularly acute among Native American, Pacific Islander, Black and Hispanic students, as well as those who are English learners, in special education or live in low-income households. Hedy Chang, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works, said the key to solving chronic absenteeism is to address the underlying problems that make kids absent in the first place. The California-based nonprofit focused solely on improving student attendance identifies a range of 'root causes', including student disengagement, boredom and unwelcoming school climates. Caregivers' negative education experiences are a factor, according to the nonprofit. So, too, is homelessness and community violence. Last year, lawmakers in 28 states proposed at least 71 bills focused on identifying, preventing and addressing chronic absenteeism, according to analyses by the nonprofit FutureEd. This year, legislators in 20 states are weighing at least 49 bills focused on chronic absences, including efforts to improve data collection and create early interventions. The Oklahoma legislation seeks to replace chronic absenteeism in its school accountability system with an alternative, such as a climate survey, a softer measure that would gauge students', parents' and educators' opinions about their schools. The move would require approval from the U.S. Department of Education. States have been required to collect chronic absenteeism rates since the passage of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Since then, chronic absenteeism has been included as one of six school performance indicators on Oklahoma's annual A-F report cards from the state education department. Currently, 38 states use chronic absenteeism to grade school performance, Chang said. Related For schools in Oklahoma, the measurement has proven to be a hurdle. In 2022-23, the state's schools received an F grade in chronic absenteeism. Last year, the state grade ticked up slightly — to a D. Removing chronic absenteeism from the state accountability system, Johns, the state lawmaker, said, could allow schools across Oklahoma to receive better grades. Meanwhile, he supports initiatives to handle student absences through the courts, arguing that 'parents need to have some skin in the game.' 'Chronic absenteeism is driving our report card down,' Johns said. 'Without the chronic absenteeism [measurement], our report card is not going to look as bad as it is because our public schools are doing some really good things, so why shouldn't the report card be a reflection of that?' Chang argued the move is misguided. She pointed to a growing body of research that has found schools can combat absenteeism if they form meaningful relationships with parents and partner with social services agencies that address underlying barriers to attendance, like food insecurity. There's little research to suggest that fines and other forms of punishment improve attendance. Even as some states ramp up truancy rules, others have scaled them back as studies report that punitive measures can backfire. In South Carolina schools, for example, students placed on probation for truancy wound up with even worse school attendance than they had before the courts got involved, according to a 2020 report by the nonprofit Council of State Governments Justice Center. In a report published last year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education highlighted school districts that have made 'impressive strides in reducing' chronic absenteeism and that 'offer valuable lessons on how schools can re-engage students.' Among them is a 24% drop in absenteeism at Dahlonegah Public Schools, which hired a school-based police officer to visit the homes of students who failed to attend school. The district also credited improvements to 'a welcoming and engaging school environment.' The state education department didn't respond to requests for comment. 'Families have to be involved and they have to be partners and they have to take responsibility for getting kids to school, but it's not solely about what families do or don't do,' Chang said. 'I think it's a mistake to assume it's only one group's responsibility. This is a shared responsibility.' Johnson, the district attorney, said his office has stepped up to address a problem that state education leaders have failed to solve. He took particular aim at the state's high-profile education secretary, Ryan Walters, who has become an outspoken champion of conservative education causes. Related Yet, as far as chronic absenteeism goes, Johnson said the state schools chief 'has no interest in talking about' the topic except 'when he could get a soundbite on Fox News.' The state education department did not respond to Johnson's comments. The 51-year-old father of four also pinned persistent chronic absenteeism on parents — those living in poverty, in particular. Children in his district who most often miss school, he said, are 'kind of feral.' 'My friends generally don't have children that are in crisis because, just economically speaking, they're on the higher end of the spectrum,' Johnson told The 74. Johnson said there are about 7,500 K-12 children in the counties that make up his district and estimated that at least 30% contend with 'economic poverty, multi-generational drug abuse, domestic abuse in the home, broken families, no economic opportunity, no education.' 'If you live in a school district where there is a real high poverty level and a real high incarceration rate, then a lot of times you're going to get kids that have been raised in those environments,' Johnson said. 'So you're going to have a lot more challenges with that group than you would if every person had a four-wheel drive vehicle and a bass boat in their driveway and everybody has a good industrial job and is making a good living and providing for their families.' Johnson said schools should play a role in encouraging students to go to school, but when that doesn't work, threats of jail are needed. In Pontotoc County, just two truancy charges were filed against parents in 2023, according to data provided to The 74 by Johnson's office. That number jumped to 20 last year and, so far this year, there have already been eight. David Blatt, the director of research and strategic impact at the nonprofit Oklahoma Appleseed, questioned the accuracy of the data and said it could be an undercount. He said he attended a truancy court case in Ada last year where as many as 30 parents and students made appearances before a judge that lasted just 60 to 90 seconds each. In a report last year, Blatt found that truancy laws were enforced inconsistently across the state and urged policymakers to adopt interventions and supports for families to address chronic absenteeism rather than criminalize them. Blatt backs the legislation to remove chronic absenteeism as a school accountability measure, acknowledging that certain attendance barriers are outside of educators' direct control. But he said Johnson's characterization of the problem is 'rather harsh and one-sided.' Rather than being apathetic toward their children's education, he said many parents struggle with work responsibilities and transportation while children wrestle with in-school factors that can discourage attendance, such as persistent bullying. 'There may be cases where being called before a judge will help convince them of the seriousness of things, but for other cases, it's just going to compound their problems,' Blatt said. 'Adding court appearances and fees and fines doesn't solve their problems. It just adds to them.' Related Yet for Johnson, the issue stems from a lack of repercussions. By enforcing truancy cases, he said schools have 'a little bit of a weapon' against parents whose children are missing school and can threaten them with jail time. Most of the time, he said, threats alone improve student attendance and in many cases the charges wind up getting dismissed. In fewer than a dozen instances, he said, his truancy crackdown has led to parents serving time behind bars. 'Generally, they'll go in for about four hours,' Johnson said. 'We'll give them the taste of it.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Avalanche Defenseman Erik Johnson Was Hockey's Top Prospect in 2007
The Colorado Avalanche re-acquired veteran defenseman Erik Johnson at the NHL's recent trade deadline. But in 2007, Johnson was the top prospect in the hockey world -- and in this 2007 Future Watch cover story, writer Ken Campbell profiled Johnson as Johnson considered whether to go pro for the St. Louis Blues or to stay in the NCAA: By Ken Campbell For Erik Johnson, the worst times are immediately after the games, those hours when he's peeling off his sweaty equipment, almost always basking in the glow of victory, perhaps making plans to have a couple of Diet Cokes with his teammates and head off to a campus party on a Saturday night. All Johnson ever wanted to do when he was a kid was play at the 'U', that's the University of Minnesota for those of you unfamiliar with The Land of 10,000 Lakes. And that's what he's doing now. He loves every minute of it, but as each day of his freshman season passes, he feels himself being pulled further and further away. And it appears to be doing quite a number on a young man who three years ago was playing hockey at a prep school called Academy of Holy Angels. Does that sound like the most pristine place in the world or what? But now he's the No. 1 prospect outside the NHL, something that was established last June when the St. Louis Blues chose him first overall in the draft and confirmed recently when a panel of 22 NHL scouts ordained him the best player not playing in the NHL at the moment. That could change and probably will next season, but that doesn't mean it's not giving Johnson a world of anxiety. 'To tell you the truth, I keep going back and forth on that one,' said Johnson, a defenseman for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers who turns 19 March 21. 'Sometimes I'm thinking, 'St. Louis, St. Louis,' then I play a game at Mariucci (UM's home rink) and go out with my buddies and it gets really difficult. This decision is a lot tougher than you might think.' That Johnson is eminently ready to play imminently in the NHL is not in dispute. Anyone who has seen him play this season, particularly since the World Junior Championship, knows that Johnson could almost certainly make the adjustment to the NHL next season. Of course it helps when you're 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, have a high panic threshold and can shoot the puck like a cannon. 'What happens if I go back to school and I'm walking all over college hockey?' Johnson said. 'What would that do for my development? Complicating matters a little is that the 2007 Frozen Four, which is the NCAA's championship tournament, just happens to be slated for the Scottrade Center, where the Blues are currently having trouble drawing 10,000 fans a game. So, the question is, if Johnson's Gophers make it to the Frozen Four, how much is he going to pack? Much of the decision could be made for him. If he plays in the Frozen Four, he won't play for the Blues because their season ends the same day the tournament does. The Blues American League affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, have four games remaining and will almost certainly be in a life-and-death battle to make the playoffs. For his part, Johnson maintains he's focused on making a decision for next season and doesn't see himself leaving school before this academic year is finished. But if the Gophers are knocked out early, and even if they're not, the Blues may still come calling. 'We will explore all options, there is no question about that,' said Blues GM John Davidson. Despite their struggles, the Blues have a capable blueline that will be enhanced if they manage to sign Eric Brewer to a long-term deal. That would certainly take the pressure off having to rush Johnson into the NHL. And as good as Johnson will be someday, it's not as though 19-year-old defensemen sell tickets the way Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin do. That's the determination Davidson and Johnson made over the summer when they held a conference call about his immediate future. 'We wanted him to go and have a life,' Davidson said. 'We told him, 'Go play hockey and have fun. Go to college, chase girls and all that stuff.'' Davidson said many in the hockey world scratched their heads when the Blues signed Jay McKee to such a lucrative contract, but part of the thinking behind that would be that McKee would mentor Johnson in Johnson's rookie season in the NHL. 'When he does ultimately come here, he won't be expected to play 30 minutes a night and he won't get roasted as a rookie,' Davidson said. To be sure, there was a learning curve for Johnson in college hockey this season. Gophers coach Don Lucia said Johnson initially put far too much pressure on himself to live up to his billing as the No. 1 pick, incidentally the first No. 1 overall pick in history to ever play college hockey after being selected. It was something that Johnson also realized early in the world junior tournament. 'It was after the first game against Germany,' he said. 'After that game, I realized I was doing a lot of things individually and I was trying to do a little too much on my own. I think after that game, my game just took off and I played well the rest of the tournament.' Johnson finished the tournament tied for the scoring lead with four goals and 10 points and was named the top defenseman in the tournament. That followed a strong performance in the 2006 tournament in Vancouver, when Johnson was paired with No. 4 overall prospect Jack Johnson (no relation) and used the tournament to vault him to the No. 1 pick. Scouts have noticed the poise level in Erik Johnson, compared to the hell-bent-for-leather approach that Jack Johnson takes in the game. 'I think Erik Johnson has a little more maturity in his game than Jack does right now, but that's not to say Jack won't get that,' said Toronto Maple Leafs scout Craig Button. '(Erik) doesn't chase the game or chase the play. Wanting to have an impact is a great quality to have, but you've got to recognize when it's there.' Everyone, Johnson's coach included, acknowledges that if Johnson does return to Minnesota next season, it will be his last. Former Gopher defensemen Keith Ballard and Paul Martin resisted the urge to go pro and played three years and Jordan Leopold played all four, but that is simply not going to be the plan for Johnson. In early February, Johnson was taking advantage of a Gopher bye week in which there were no practices to re-energize for the final push of the season. When it was suggested to him that the extra time would allow him to concentrate on school, he said, 'Oh yeah, that too.' Lest you get the idea Johnson is a prima donna who knows he's destined for stardom, that's hardly the case. 'It's nice to have a kid like him who is humble and doesn't think the universe revolves around him,' Lucia said. 'If you came into our room, you'd never know he was a first pick. You'd think he was a free agent trying to get picked by somebody.' Twenty-two NHL scouts cast a ballot for top NHL-affiliated prospect.
