Young Writers Society

Concord, California may soon fine students for cutting class. The first offense would be for $100. A second offense would be for $200, and a third offense would be for $500.

You can read more about it here:
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/0 ... ing-class/

Do you agree or disagree that students should be fined for cutting class?

I disagree with fining someone for cutting classes. Yes, it is wrong to cut class, but nothing such as paying a fine should be imposed on students. It puts a burden on the parents who most likely have to pay the fine, and it really only creates a further riff between school officials and students. There are already systems in place which are imposed on children who cut class, and it is probably partially the teachers' faults that students cut class as well. I have done the same thing before. Of course I haven't been caught, but I cut class because the teacher of the class bored me. Teaching must be interesting, and students must really see that what are learning will help them in the future.

Kids will be in debt before they even have a job. 0_o I think I only cut like once or twice, and it was never a whole huge thing when I was a freshy, because everyone has probably done it at least once or twice in their lives. But then it became more and more common in later years. Nowadays, kids in my area don't do much of it because police stalk the perimeter of the schools, or we have little rent-a-cops in gocart things. (cute ^-^) One time getting caught is all it takes to get irritated and not want to have to deal with the drama again. A fine seems unnessary; at least to me. I think truancy is a bigger issue. Because cutting takes some effort, not showing up doesn't. Big point though, stay in school obviously! No one needs that Slurpee or Jack in the Box break between class. Except me (one time.) xD

Signed,
2cool4skool... B-)

I disagree with fines simply because the kid is the one who is truant and there is a good percentage of kids who would have to get their parents to pay those said fines. Who is the one being punished?

And I guarantee a family who is on welfare could not afford to pay the school that much money. Punishment is necessary, yes, but this sounds more like another cash grab.

Fine us for not going to the classes we pay these schmucks to teach? (also shows the difference between America and Europe and basically anywhere else in the world)

Money grab, nothing less. Pathetic move, shows how desperate and bloated education is now.

Very sad.

Pointless move.
It's the parents who will be paying the price, not the students. How can you make parents accountable for their kid's actions in an environment where they aren't even present.
It may be a minor deterrence, but kids who want to skip will do so anyway.
This is just the result of a pompous, pretentious education system turning a lack of interest in school into a crime.

I think it's a good idea. Cutting class can seriously impair a students education. By imposing stiff penalties on offenders, the school will deter cutting class. If the students get their parents to pay the bill, then they'll have to explain themselves to their parents. For those students, the fines would cause their parents to take an intense interest in their children's education. Assuming, of course, that the parents allow their children to survive the first fine. This would be especially true in lower class homes.

The only concern would be that students who don't want to be in class will actually be in class. That could cause discipline problems and disrupt class time itself.

I agree with MMM. I only ever skip lessons where I know I won't learn anything in them. Then I'll go up to the library and read the textbook or something (like when I have one of my history teachers... I swear he makes me forget things, lol).

If people are missing school, it's a problem with the education system - for whatever reason, the pupil concerned does not feel that the class will benefit him/her. It's just silly to force them to be in there.

This is an interesting piece of news, that Concord is considering this, but not a very fun debate. Much too one-sided. The decision to fine students for cutting class could never hold logically, morally, or legally. Seriously, how could that ever be legal? (Unless it's a private school I guess? I didn't read the article.) As someone else mentioned, it's just an attempt to get money.

The public, low-income high school I attended used to have classrooms lock their doors when the bell rang so that tardy kids could not be admitted, in an effort to dissuade tardiness. Kids had to spend the whole period in detention instead. Stupidest decision ever, logically. First off, kids CAN'T LEARN what the teacher is teaching if they're in detention instead of class, and more importantly, when kids knew they were going to be late, they just wouldn't even show up to school. Why would they? (And then it helped lead to lots eventually dropping out.) I see this fining ditchers proposal in the same light. If you're gonna fine a kid for ditching, that's no incentive for him to go to school, that's incentive for him to drop out. Although I suppose it's much different with schools of higher income-brackets. Upper and middle class parents usually don't stand for their kids dropping out. Actually, that's a subject I find much more interesting to discuss: the cultural effects of money/how values and attitudes differ according to income levels.