Great piece. I’m a teacher and can tell you that the connection between social promotion grading schemas and poor attendance systems inside schools is very much connected to chronic truancy and absenteeism.
Last year I taught a student who would arrive to class during the last 5 minutes every day. I was required to mark her present. For a while I marked her absent and was disciplined and my records were changed. She missed more than 80% of the class and because of DCPS grading and attendance policies still passed. She didn’t learn a damn thing, except that she wasn’t accountable for her actions and behavior.
Not saying she did something criminal when she was not in class - no basis for me to say that, but if she did, my records would have indicated that she was in class.
This all happened when DCPS shifted from high expectations to equity during the pandemic, but never switched back. There are plenty of other changes that have also reduced student agency and accountability too.
Not at all related to school absences, but you've written about gun possession charges a lot. Yesterday, the DC Court of Appeals further weakened the large capacity ammunition ban by requiring the government to prove beyond reasonable doubt defendants know their guns can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.
The Council can and should change the law to revert back to the previous interpretation of this law by removing the presumption of scienter for this element.
See Bruce v. United States, at 21-28 but the core issue is summarized at 28 if you don't want to read the whole analysis:
I am old enough to remember DC before the subway, children either walked or took school buses. School buses unlike subway car only have one destination in morning.
By time I was in high school and DC subway was open, kids who cut classes and ride the subway all day as it’s climate controlled and comfortable.
First WMATA needs add a time based formula to the fare structure not just the distance from originating station.
The student smarttrip fare cards should be restricted by their unique ID to to points of system. Nearest station to home and nearest to school.
the thing is that students jump over the fare gates. This issue is a whole city issue, its WMATA who turns the other way when students jump the fare gates, allows them to loiter in the entrances all morning, its the libraries that allow students to sit and hang out all day, its the schools who don't enforce any type of rules or consequences for students when they miss school. it's all fun and games until these teens aren't teens, they'll be adults with no basic skills and no high school diploma or education.
One more thing, juvenile carjacking is associated with truancy and fare evasion. Teenagers want to exit and enter system without using their student SmartTrip card as it would exhaust its balance. Once exiting subway they want transportation to joyride for day, hence they carjack someone.
Kudos to WMATA for trying to combat fare evasion, it’s long overdue due. Next step is reduce the safety of joyriding a stolen car.
What if car could tell nearby patrol cars that it’s been reported stolen. This would be both a deterrent and a method of apprehension.
There is a solution for 95% cars on road today and does not need additional devices added to cars.
Great piece. I’m a teacher and can tell you that the connection between social promotion grading schemas and poor attendance systems inside schools is very much connected to chronic truancy and absenteeism.
Last year I taught a student who would arrive to class during the last 5 minutes every day. I was required to mark her present. For a while I marked her absent and was disciplined and my records were changed. She missed more than 80% of the class and because of DCPS grading and attendance policies still passed. She didn’t learn a damn thing, except that she wasn’t accountable for her actions and behavior.
Not saying she did something criminal when she was not in class - no basis for me to say that, but if she did, my records would have indicated that she was in class.
This all happened when DCPS shifted from high expectations to equity during the pandemic, but never switched back. There are plenty of other changes that have also reduced student agency and accountability too.
Not at all related to school absences, but you've written about gun possession charges a lot. Yesterday, the DC Court of Appeals further weakened the large capacity ammunition ban by requiring the government to prove beyond reasonable doubt defendants know their guns can hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.
The Council can and should change the law to revert back to the previous interpretation of this law by removing the presumption of scienter for this element.
See Bruce v. United States, at 21-28 but the core issue is summarized at 28 if you don't want to read the whole analysis:
https://www.dccourts.gov/sites/default/files/2023-11/Bruce%20v.%20US%2022-CF-0463.pdf
I am old enough to remember DC before the subway, children either walked or took school buses. School buses unlike subway car only have one destination in morning.
By time I was in high school and DC subway was open, kids who cut classes and ride the subway all day as it’s climate controlled and comfortable.
First WMATA needs add a time based formula to the fare structure not just the distance from originating station.
The student smarttrip fare cards should be restricted by their unique ID to to points of system. Nearest station to home and nearest to school.
the thing is that students jump over the fare gates. This issue is a whole city issue, its WMATA who turns the other way when students jump the fare gates, allows them to loiter in the entrances all morning, its the libraries that allow students to sit and hang out all day, its the schools who don't enforce any type of rules or consequences for students when they miss school. it's all fun and games until these teens aren't teens, they'll be adults with no basic skills and no high school diploma or education.
One more thing, juvenile carjacking is associated with truancy and fare evasion. Teenagers want to exit and enter system without using their student SmartTrip card as it would exhaust its balance. Once exiting subway they want transportation to joyride for day, hence they carjack someone.
Kudos to WMATA for trying to combat fare evasion, it’s long overdue due. Next step is reduce the safety of joyriding a stolen car.
What if car could tell nearby patrol cars that it’s been reported stolen. This would be both a deterrent and a method of apprehension.
There is a solution for 95% cars on road today and does not need additional devices added to cars.
For more read my SubStack note.
https://substack.com/@carlhub/note/c-44640712?r=2odvxx&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action