KC daytime curfew on hold for now

[proud2BlibKansan]

The homeschooling lobby in MO is way too powerful. Homeschooling regulations in MO are basically non-existant and among the most lax in the country, thanks to this group with nothing but time on their hands to lobby against any regulation they don't like.

The KC school district lost its accreditation partly because of attendance and the failure of the city to have an ordinance like this one proposed that would help the school district and the police department work together to reduce truancy. There is no other city in the area where kids skipping school are allowed to walk the streets all day long with no consequence. When my children were in school, one of them for a couple years attended a private school with different days off than the local public school. He knew that if he was outside on those days, the police could (and sometimes did) ask him why he wasn't in school. And when he told them where he went to school, the police left him alone. It never went through my mind to complain that the police were hassling my child or infringing on his freedom. Silly me, I appreciated the police keeping kids safe and in school. I had a neighbor who homeschooled and she felt the same way.

A Kansas City Council Committee postponed a decision today on whether Kansas City should adopt a daytime curfew to address the problem of chronic truants.

The Kansas City Public Schools and the Kansas City police department asked for the local law to help them combat truancy and juvenile delinquency that officials said contribute to crime, especially in neighborhoods around Northeast High School, Ruskin High School and some other area high schools.

But home school parents turned out in force today, urging the city council’s Public Safety Committee not to impose a daytime curfew. The committee postponed a decision until its next meeting March 21.

The current proposal would prohibit children ages 7 through 16 from loitering unsupervised in a public place from 30 minutes after school starts to 30 minutes prior to the end of school. If police officers find violators, those children would be taken to school, placed in the parent’s custody or taken to a secure location until a parent or guardian could be found.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/14/3490632/kc-daytime-curfew-on-hold-for.html#storylink=cpy

[xmas74]

1. It says loitering unsupervised.

If they are properly homeschooled they'd never be unsupervised, would they?

I don't know why the home school parents would even mind.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. The homeschoolers in MO are a powerful lobby group

If they oppose a bill, it doesn't pass.

I don't get their opposition to this ordinance. The KC District can actually regain accreditation points if they can clean up their truancy efforts. But the lack of a city ordinance stands in the way. It's sad.

[xmas74]

3. I know they are very powerful.

I live in an area with a number of them. I've heard multiple complaints about how they should be totally exempt from paying school taxes, since they're children don't use the schools. (I've also heard a few discuss how they should be paid by the state since they teach their children "just like a teacher would", but that's another discussion.)

I'm fine with the decision to homeschool. Some are very good at it, able to give more attention to the child, encourage them and expand their horizons further than a regular classroom. That's wonderful and I salute those who do. The majority I've met, otoh, have children who can barely read and are either problem children or the opposite-afraid of their own shadows.

Few can be really good at homeschooling and give the child exactly what they need.

[Rdot]

4. Spam deleted by Ian David (MIR Team)