Tougher truance laws get state more deeply involved

With the breakdown of the traditional family leaving too many parents unwilling or unable to make sure their kids are in school, it's not surprising that the Legislature has passed a law to try to deal with the situation.

While Gov. Dave Heineman called it a way to keep students out of the juvenile justice system, it seems likely to have the opposite effect.

The law requires probation officers, social workers and school officials to communicate when students miss more than 10 school days per academic year. It also requires school districts to set policies for excessive absenteeism because of a serious illness, and will create a grant fund for court-appointed special advocates who work with troubled and abused youth.

The law was sponsored by Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, who said he wanted to see to it that children benefited from the "huge investment in state tax and property tax dollars" that are being spent on them.

Another related law last year sealed juvenile court records, as well as addressing other truancy and juvenile justice issues.

High-poverty areas in Omaha and other parts of the state have correspondingly high truancy levels. Nearly 22,000 Nebraska students missed more than 20 days of school last year, and more than half of the absences were high school students, according to an Associated Press story. One analysis found truant 11th graders scored about 30 points lower on a statewide reading assessment than those who missed fewer days.

The law was passed with good intentions, but we need to remember that no state system can do the job of education as well as schools, and both are poor substitutes for parents willing and able to do the job themselves.