Getting tough on truancy

Friday, May 16, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Public school teacher Chris Giunchigliani said some students in her class miss as many as 80 days a year and nothing ever happens to them.

A bill, authored by Giunchig-liani -- the assemblywoman -- was introduced in the Legislature Thursday to set up a program to help both the truant pupil and the family.

"We're trying to focus on the student and the parent needs rather than just dumping them into the court system," said Giunchigliani, referring to Assembly Bill 486.

A $1.50 fee would be imposed on each divorce filed in District Court to pay for counseling and other programs to help truant children. And it requires all county commissions to adopt a daytime curfew for school days.

The ordnance would make it unlawful for a pupil to be found outside school property without a valid excuse. And a schedule of fines would be established.

Sue Wesolowski, a parent in Las Vegas who sat on an interim committee looking into the problem, doesn't favor some of the Giunchigliani suggestions.

"I'm not in favor of as much government intervention as Chris might be in favor of," she said. "I'm not sure we have the police or school officials to handle the problem."

There will be difficulty in tracking students because there are year-round schools in Clark County, she said.

Wesolowski said she favors starting a strong curriculum in the school to attract the students to stay in class. "Parents need to be working with their kids and we need teachers interested who don't just clock in," she said.

Under AB 486, students would be required to have identification cards. Giunchigliani said most schools already issue cards and police and truant officers would be able to check those to see if they are supposed to be in class.

Her program is fashioned after one in Los Angeles, which she said cut truancy dramatically and led to a big reduction in daytime crime in Los Angeles.

This bill will force schools to identify who the truants are and to establish programs to help them. If that doesn't work, a review board could bring the parents and the child in and order them to take part in programs or counseling.