Dallas Blog

I do like the idea that all these teen criminals out during the day committing crimes will suddenly decide to go to school out of fear of getting a citation.

I know this is heresy but: when I was a young Dallas teen, we would have been scared to be seen on the streets or park publicly during school hopurs because there was it was a red flag that we were truant. It was not regarded as my 'civil right' to be not at home or in school.

As for home schoolers, if they're out 'early' I find it hard to not believe it possible to have some sort of home-schooler ID.

I mean, my near-by parks and greenbelts and alleys in Southeast Dallas are daily playgrounds for teens during school hours. I hardly believe they are out-early home schooled scholars. And they are too young to be legal dropouts.

Da-Da!

They are truants. Exercising their 'right' to be anywhere they please despite my paying school taxes to educate them despite my having invested heavily in Trojans for decades to make absolutely certain that their parents would never have to pay to educate progeny of mine.

Just think where Mitchell Rasansky would be today if he had been a better student and not off playing hooky. Just goes to show that you can't succeed in life unless you go to school every single day (under penalty of law).

And given that the majority of crimes are committed by people over the age of 18, should we not have a curfew for them, as well, as a necessary crime deterrent?

Of course, I don't really think his story jibes with the crime deterrent aspect. He says he was just skipping school and would've been more willing to go if the threat of a $500 fine was hanging out there. Presumably the threat of other fines or jail time or whatever kept him from committing crimes other than skipping school way back when, right?

But he says this curfew is a necessary crime deterrent, which implies that the actual punishments for the crimes don't deter teenagers from committing them, but a curfew will.

As an aside, I have found that one thing that always helps teenagers succeed in the future is having a criminal record.

I wonder if anybody realises that there are reasons kids skip school that go beyond "lol lets spraypaint on the back of the stores wall in the back alley where like virtually nobody will see it.".

School was hellish when I went to it. Being picked on by almost every single kid in the classroom, only to be yelled at by a teacher when you stick up for yourself (with "inappropriate words" non-the-less...) isn't something anybody needs to endure 5 days a week from 7 till 5. And being at home afterwards wasn't a treat either when your single mom is depressed.

Imagine what my weekends are like. Doing crap tons of homework because your teacher needs to pay off her second summer home. Or at least it feels like it anyway.

I think the first thing that should be done is to fix the school system first so that kids are motivated to go. Not "oh hey lol, lets point a gun to their head to make them stay in school" with legislation that allows police officers to arrest any 'kid' whos doing nothing but walking on the street.

I'm from canada. I'm somewhat unfamiliar with truancy laws in the states, but the idea of anything allowing a cop to arrest anybody who isn't doing anything wrong. That might just be me though however.