And that is precisely what this bill would give me and other teachers in the state of Texas. I therefore consider it to be a bad idea.

Parents beware: Miss a meeting with your child's teacher and it could cost you a $500 fine and a criminal record.

A Republican state lawmaker from Baytown has filed a bill that would charge parents of public school students with a misdemeanor and fine them for playing hooky from a scheduled parent-teacher conference.

Rep. Wayne Smith said Wednesday he wants to get parents involved in their child's education.

"I think it helps the kids for the parents and teachers to communicate. That's all the intent was," Smith said.

Do I have parents who won’t show up if I try to schedule a conference with them? You bet. Have I rearranged my schedule to accommodate a parent who wanted to meet, only to have them not show up when I’ve stayed until 4:00 just to talk to them? Sure – which is especially irritating when they have initiated the contact. But I don’t think that being an inconsiderate jackass is grounds for an encounter with the legal system. And I also do not believe it is appropriate for me to be able to summon a parent on pain of criminal sanction. After all, parent-teacher meetings are all too often an adversarial event – let’s not write that into law.

Posted by: Greg at 02:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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