‘More legal options needed for punishing truancy’

Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

While court appearances are a last option, the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) has begun the first steps towards prosecuting the parents of around 20 children with persistent bad attendance.

The board was set up two years ago to monitor and improve school attendance, and to ensure every child receives an adequate education. At a meeting of the NEWB and other agencies working with families yesterday, Mr Lenihan said decisions have to be made which will ensure that the family and the child will be in a better position.

“There is little point in following the letter of the law if it has the potential to do more harm than good. But at the same time, the law must be followed,” he said.

“It is my feeling that what the judges in our courts require are alternatives to fines or imprisonment which can be imposed at their discretion.”

The NEWB can issue attendance notices ordering that a child go to school for a prescribed period, where efforts to improve attendance have been unsuccessful.

The maximum penalty a District Court judge can impose for breaching a school attendance notice issued by the NEWB is a 500 fine and/or a month in prison.

NEWB chief executive Eddie Ward agreed that court proceedings were a last option but said the board was anxious to put together alternative sanctions for judges.

At yesterday’s conference, the NEWB heard from other agencies working with families yesterday about possible interventions.

In discussions with parents experiencing difficulties, the board has heard a variety of reasons for their children’s poor attendance. These included bullying, problems with teachers, peer pressure to stay out of school and embarrassment about learning difficulties.

“Some parents found it really hard to consider their own responsibility, and focused almost entirely on the way they feel schools make things difficult for children and families,” said NEWB’s Dublin city regional manager Catherine Bond.

Schools are obliged under the Education (Welfare) Act to report absences of more than 20 days in one school year to the NEWB.