Truancy’s link to Safer Streets

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As summer approaches, we see some of the best that Boston has to offer with parades, festivals, and a variety of outdoor activities.  Unfortunately, our expectations of higher temperatures also increase our expectations of more senseless youth violence.  As a former teacher, I know that truancy is a key indicator that a young person may be giving up or losing his or her way.  This is why I have filed legislation calling for a new truancy prevention program in Boston with strong parental accountability measures. You can learn more about this proposal here.

I will be holding a public hearing on this proposal this coming Monday, June 1 at 2:30pm in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.  The hearing will feature testimony from the architects of a similar program in Waterbury, Connecticut that has been remarkably successful in reducing truancy as well as education and community leaders in the City.  I would welcome your attendance and participation at the hearing.

Chronic truancy is the gateway to dropping out of school.  After dropping out, a teenager is far more likely than students who stay in school to battle drug use and addiction, face incarceration, and fail to find a steady, well paying job.  A recent federal study found truant students more than three times as likely to be arrested and convicted of a crime than non-truant students.

The model that I am proposing seeks to address the underlying issues behind truancy by requiring the involvement of the parent, parents, or guardian – treating a child’s truancy as a family issue, and not just one child’s issue or one school’s issue.  There is no single cause for chronic absence, and reasons are numerous and can range from asthma or a parent’s work schedule to safety issues at or on the way to school.  The program seeks to identify the reason for the chronic absence and then connect the family to resources in their community that might include counseling, an afterschool program, or simply connecting neighbors to form a carpooling network for their children.  As a last resort, the program requires parents of chronically truant children to appear in court to explain their children’s absences to a judge.

To stem youth violence, all of Boston must be committed to a long term public safety strategy aimed at identifying at-risk or likely at-risk youth from the earliest ages, and doing all that we can to keep all of Boston’s children on paths of opportunity and away from paths that lead to youth violence.  The first and most important step in that process is to keep Boston’s young people in school and on track to graduate.  A vital piece to this vision is addressing truancy.  I will keep you updated on my progress as I move forward with this proposal.

As always, thanks for giving the opportunity to serve in a job that I love, and please e-mail me with any questions, concerns, or feedback.

With best wishes,

John R. Connolly
Boston City Councillor At-Large