OH - Man Serves Jail Time For Daughter's Failure To Get GED

[JBean]

According to Ohio law link above if the parent can show that he or she really tried to get the child to school and to do what was required they will probably not be charged. I am guesing that these parents didn't do a thing which is why the judge is being so harsh. Just a guess.
As an aside,I do not believe for one minute that this girl cannot pass her GED.

>>The complaint against the student’s caretaker might allege parental neglect for failure to attend a parental education program or forfailure to compel the student to attend school. It should be noted that, if the student's caretaker proves that he or she attempted to compel the student to attend school, but was unable to do so, the court may discharge the complaint against the caretaker. Upon discharge, the school must file a complaint against the student, alleging that he or she is a delinquent, unruly, and dependent child.<<

 

[Taximom]

I'm not sure what the failure rate on the Ohio Proficiency Test is for that area, but it's really high in NE Ohio. Especially in math, IIRC.

 

[JBean]

I'm not sure what the failure rate on the Ohio Proficiency Test is for that area, but it's really high in NE Ohio. Especially in math, IIRC.

So is there a bigger problem at play here? Is the school system not teaching the material?

 

[Taximom]

In our school system, JBean, the teachers spend a LOT of time w/behavioral issues. The graduation rate in our district is 50&#37;-60% IIRC. I don't remember the exact number but it was low enough for me to take notice and make sure my kids aren't in that percentage! If you look at their curriculum, I think it's right on par, but getting around to teaching it on time, and making sure all kids understand it is another story. There's just not enough individual attention, and everything is backed up as far as getting extra help needed. I also hear a lot about parents that don't care, but I don't have figures to back that up. I see signs of it in the children my kids are in school with, but I see concerned parents as well. Those that can afford it, go private.

 

[JBean]

In our school system, JBean, the teachers spend a LOT of time w/behavioral issues. The graduation rate in our district is 50&#37;-60% IIRC. I don't remember the exact number but it was low enough for me to take notice and make sure my kids aren't in that percentage! If you look at their curriculum, I think it's right on par, but getting around to teaching it on time, and making sure all kids understand it is another story. There's just not enough individual attention, and everything is backed up as far as getting extra help needed. I also hear a lot about parents that don't care, but I don't have figures to back that up. I see signs of it in the children my kids are in school with, but I see concerned parents as well. Those that can afford it, go private.

Is that statewide? 50-60% is scary. Maybe that is why the judge is insisting she gets this done.
The girl has a daughter so perhaps the judge is making sure she gets her GED, but within his legal power.

 

[Paladin]

The kid is a selfish brat. If I knew my dad would be going to jail if I couldn't get my GED I would be busting my keyster to make sure I passed.

 

[JBean]

The kid is a selfish brat. If I knew my dad would be going to jail if I couldn't get my GED I would be busting my keyster to make sure I passed.

Amen.
ETA: Now that he is jail I am sure she will pass.

ETA2: quote from the article:
>>She says she's determined to pass the GED for her daughter &#8211; and her father.<<

NOW she can pass but couldn't before She is probably going to write and thank this judge one day and so will the father.

 

[Amraann]

I don't have a problem with this.
If this dad owed child support from when his daughter was a minor he would still be thrown in jail for not paying.

If he had legal custody why was he letting her live with her mother anyways?
Ultimately he was responsible for her not going to school. I Highly doubt that skipping school was her only issue.
And YES parents can control their teens ... but you cannot just wake up one day when they are 15 and acting out and decide to parent.
It needs to be consistent from the beginning by teaching them responsible behavior and choices.

 

[SweetPea2]

Is that statewide? 50-60&#37; is scary. Maybe that is why the judge is insisting she gets this done.
The girl has a daughter so perhaps the judge is making sure she gets her GED, but within his legal power.

No, that is not statewide. Not sure where Taximom lives but I live in NE Ohio as well and that's not the percentage where I am. We have a 97% graduation rate.

I think this judge is wrong! The daughter should have been put in jail NOT the father.

 

[Amraann]

The kid is a selfish brat. If I knew my dad would be going to jail if I couldn't get my GED I would be busting my keyster to make sure I passed.

Yup!! She was but who is to blame??

 

[Brefie]

But when the dad took her the judge told both the daughter and the father if she didn't get it done, he would go to jail.This was not surprise.
She should have just gotten it done. I think the judge is pretty smart. She is getting it done now to help her father because she cares more about him than she does about herself. It's working!

Maybe. But now the father has a stint in jail he has to disclose to all employers.

 

[txsvicki]

I can believe that the girl is having such problems with math. Some kids get all the way through with learning disabilities that haven't been dealt with. If someone had to depend on me to get them out of jail by passing algebra they'd be in for life. Also, parents can raise Christian kids, kids who are already working, known in school to be kind, never even had ISS or been in any trouble at school, and still suddenly decide to skip at a certain age when they want to be grown. That's what my daughter's did and they are still very responsible, great mothers, and taxpayers with no criminal records even though they are blotted with the shame of having skipped school (sarcasm) and a total of $500 poorer.

 

[hoppyfrog]

I am so sorry you may have to face that. Perhaps you can be proactive to protect yourselves?

I'm thinking the same thing, like keeping a detailed journal about all you do regarding his education: driving him to and from school, supervising his homework, meeting with teachers on a regular basis, etc.

Hoppy

 

[hoppyfrog]

Is that statewide? 50-60% is scary. Maybe that is why the judge is insisting she gets this done.
The girl has a daughter so perhaps the judge is making sure she gets her GED, but within his legal power.

Here is some shocking info about US hifh school graduation rates from http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/cr_baeo.htm

The report's main findings are the following:​

• The national graduation rate for the class of 1998 was 71%. For white students the rate was 78%, while it was 56% for African-American students and 54% for Latino students.
• Georgia had the lowest overall graduation rate in the nation with 54% of students graduating, followed by Nevada, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
• Iowa had the highest overall graduation rate with 93%, followed by North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
• Wisconsin had the lowest graduation rate among African-American students with 40%, followed by Minnesota, Georgia, and Tennessee. Georgia had the lowest graduation rate among Latino students with 32%, followed by Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Less than 50% of African-American students graduated in seven states and less than 50% of Latino students graduated in eight states for which data were available.
• The highest rate of graduation among African-American students was 71% in West Virginia, followed by Massachusetts, Arkansas, and New Jersey. The highest rate of graduation among Latino students was 82% in Montana, followed by Louisiana, Maryland, and Hawaii.
• Among the fifty largest school districts in the country, Cleveland City had the lowest overall graduation rate with 28%, followed by Memphis, Milwaukee, and Columbus.
• Fairfax County, VA had the highest overall graduation rate among the districts with 87%, followed by Montgomery County, MD, Albuquerque and Boston.
• Cleveland City had the lowest graduation rate among African-American students with 29%, followed by Milwaukee, Memphis, and Gwinett County, Georgia. Cleveland City also had the lowest graduation rate among Latino students, followed by Georgia’s Dekalb, Gwinnett, and Cobb counties. Less than 50% of African-American students graduated in fifteen of forty-five districts for which there was sufficient data, and less than 50% of Latino students graduated in twenty-one of thirty-six districts for which there was sufficient data.
• The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) finds a national high school completion rate of 86% for the class of 1998. The discrepancy between the NCES’ finding and this report’s finding of a 71% rate is largely caused by NCES’ counting of General Educational Development (GED) graduates and others with alternative credentials as high school graduates, and by its reliance on a methodology that is likely to undercount dropouts.