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This Heart of the School episode, features host Suzanne Goodin in conversation with Judge Baxley, one of the district judges for Elmore County, and Shay Jackson, the director of administrative services. The podcast was created to inform the community about the people who work in and around the schools, and for students to learn about the school system's offerings. The conversation focuses on truancy and efforts in Elmore County to improve student attendance.
Judge Baxley noted that people caught in a cycle of committing crimes and serving prison time often lack an education, having found themselves in a life of poverty from which they could not escape without schooling. He observed that this lack of education was often because they "just didn't go to school". He was convinced that enforcing truancy laws and connecting families to services could make a fundamental change in the community, based on his experience and the high absenteeism rate in Elmore County.
The goal of enforcing the law is not punishment or putting people in jail, but rather to educate parents and children about the benefits of education and to acquaint them with available services. Services available through the juvenile court and partners can address issues such as: Need for special education. Transportation assistance. IEPs or 504s. Counseling. It is the law that children between the ages of six and seventeen are required to attend school, and consequences exist for both children and parents who do not comply, though punishment is not the primary goal.
The video addresses the public belief that the attendance push is a "gotcha" intended to file charges on families. Ms. Jackson and Judge Baxley strongly deny this, asserting that the intent is to act in the best interest of the child. They emphasize that missing school means missing instructional time, social skills development, and teaching on how to be productive citizens. The push for attendance is not about money, as funding for teacher units is based on the ADM (Average Daily Membership) 20 days after Labor Day and daily attendance has "nothing to do with funding".
