The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

February 8, 2010

Resolution wants more circuit judges addressing truants

By Mannix Porterfield

CHARLESTON — Senators agreed Monday that judges and school boards in West Virginia need to follow the path laid out by Nicholas Circuit Judge Gary Johnson in dealing with truant students viewed as potential school dropouts.

Under his guidance, the court embarked on an early intervention plan that identifies children on the brink and works with the students to keep them in school.

“It would be a tremendous asset, if we can get all 55 counties to follow it,” Sen. Randy White, D-Webster, said after the Senate approved the resolution.

A second resolution, dispatched to the Rules Committee, would call on a subcommittee White chairs on dropouts to study the link between such students and drug abuse.

White characterized the truancy resolution as “a very strong component” of addressing the dropout rate in West Virginia, which a recent study put at 22 percent.

Some resistance to court intervention is likely to flare, White acknowledged.

“We’re trying to use the bully pulpit and impress on the judiciary to help address the problem,” he said.

“I think it would be a tremendous asset. We’re getting there early in a kid’s life and addressing the problem when they start not going to school, so they don’t get behind.”

The idea is to detect deficiencies and get children “back on task and work with them throughout their school career,” the senator said.

Admittedly, resolutions don’t carry the force of law.

“I don’t know we necessarily want to by-pass the magistrate, which is the way they worked it out in Nicholas County,” White said. “As far as changing the law, I don’t know that is required.”

All it needs is cooperation between the judiciary and school boards for the child’s best interests, White said.

“And the interest of the child is making sure that the kid is going to school and learning something,” he added.

— E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com

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