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Lincoln Daily News welcomes letters of appreciation, information and opinion on matters pertaining to the community. 
 
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Letters to the Editor
Lincoln Daily News
601 Keokuk St.
Lincoln, IL  62656

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Truancy Issues

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To the editor:

I was not able to attend Tuesday night's city council meeting where the issue of a truancy ordinance was discussed. I did, however, read the article in the Wednesday Courier. I have several questions that arose in my mind.

Jean Anderson describes the fact that her office has taken steps to stay on top of the truancy problem above and beyond what the state has legislated. I feel this is commendable. The question then arises, in my mind, would that then be the list that Bill Bates thinks would not be useful for the purpose of keeping on top of the truancy problem? I have to admit to being confused at this point. It seems to me very reasonable for a list that is already maintained to be the key to having an organized front in the fight against truancy.

Another question that arises is whether the ordinance would restrict freedoms that our responsible youth now enjoy. Since I am an adult, I can only speculate on how such an ordinance would be looked at by our youth. Maybe we should step back and get opinions from some high school-age kids who may be affected by the ordinance as it now appears.

[to top of second column in this letter]

Then we come to the authorized individuals who have authority to issue citations. I would not doubt the authority of a uniformed officer with proper identification -- if I were a youth -- but how would a truancy caseworker from Jean Anderson's office identify themselves? What means would they use to stop a child to determine if a citation needs to be issued? How would they compel the child to tell him/her the vital information that is needed to issue a citation? (At this point my mind goes back to Jean Anderson's list of truants as a good resource.)

I am well aware that many people have put in many hours of hard work on this truancy issue for both sides, and it is hard to strike a balance that will ensure freedoms and yet help the students that need help. I feel that a reasonable compromise can be met, but only if both sides will sit down and not rush the issue through at the 11th hour.

Ian Crider

[Posted November 30, 2007]

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