"As teachers we must be aware that punishing a student for truancy is not the solution to their problem, and is certainly not going to address the reason for them not attending school in the first place. We must remember that the Truancy is the indicator behavior for underlying issue(s) that must be uncovered, explored and solutions applied in conjunction with appropriate agencies to minimise or remove the underlying issue(s). This holistic approach means that barriers to full attendance are removed". Contacting the schools that other siblings attend and working with them is a very effective family solution. If a RockOn programme is not present in the school, then staff should contact the MOE to look at introducing it to the school. The consequences of truancy are close monitoring and checking up on a students' whereabouts. "Close monitoring of attendance must also continue for at least a term to make sure attendance does not slip. In many cases a whole family approach is appropriate, as the same underlying issues(s) affect all siblings. While we as a school may be only dealing with one member of the family, it is likely that any solution we apply can assist all members of the family to attend satisfactorily." Our goal is to work with students, teachers and professional organisations to provide helpful information and realistic solutions for our youth. |