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Re: “Colorado should keep court resources for truant students,” March 10 guest commentary.
One of the most important factors in high school graduation is attendance. A student who consistently attends his classes makes better grades and passes more of the courses required for graduation. By contrast, a student who rarely attends class has very low odds of passing these classes. Clearly the former student is much more likely to graduate than the latter student.
State Sen. Chris Holbert’s Senate Bill 184 removes truancy cases from the juvenile courts that serve an important function to increase attendance. Without the truancy cases, the compulsory attendance law loses any meaning. Passing this bill will lead to lower attendance and more dropouts.
As a high school student, I’ve learned that rules only work with enforcement. For example, if students are prohibited from leaving campus during lunch but aren’t punished for doing so, the rule loses meaning. Colorado needs to enforce its laws and promote attendance. SB 184 does neither.
Eric Webb,Denver
This letter was published in the March 13 edition.
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